Branded
by AmrasElanesse
Summary: My own rendition of Fire Emblem... some dialogue changes along with a new character enjoy...and yes some of the dialogue is directly from the game
1. A New Mercenary

I do not own fire emblem or its characters

A thank you to StrifeOkami for his help...I will try to post updates once a week

Let me know what you think

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Ch. 1

A New Mercenary

_Well to start my name is Hawk I have no idea how I got here or where here is exactly. I do know that I woke up in a forest to the sound of people sparring and a pain in my head. By the sound of it one of them just lost pretty badly… time to investigate I suppose._

I climb into a tree nearby the unconscious boy who looks maybe a year or two older than I with short blue hair. There is a girl and a man who I assume to be the teacher standing near him. What are their names?

"Are you alright Ike?" the girl standing over the one named Ike asks. She's young has medium length light brown hair probably no older than 14.

Well I guess that answers one question…who are the other two?

"Nn…Yeah I'll be fine Mist." Ok one more.

"So, the sleeping prince awakens!" Well he definitely looks tough…has the build of a powerful warrior…I would not want to be the person who had to face him in battle.

"Father! I can't believe you! I know those are practice swords, but they are still heavy! You have no right to be so rough on Ike." Mist says to her father. Well another question has been conveniently answered. Wanna tell me where I am too?

"If this is too much for the boy, he'll never make it as a mercenary."

So they are mercenaries…wonderful…the more they say the more questions I have.

"But-"

"Mist, you don't have to worry. I told you I'm fine." I guess Ike is a lot tougher than he looks. One hit from that guy and I think I might be toast.

"Ha! You'd better be. Now grab your sword and get ready!" seriously again! This is going to be amusing to watch.

"What? Don't tell me you're going at it again! But-"

"Just until I land a single blow. I'm not giving up until I can get one good hit on father." How nice…I suppose a family that trains together is a happy family. I hear quick footsteps getting closer to the training area so I quickly but quietly move to a different tree to avoid being caught.

Ok that was almost too easy. How did I do that so quickly and quietly? I barely heard myself land on the branch.

"Ha! I like your resolve, Ike. But it takes more than a strong will to… Hm?" Did he hear me?

"Aha! I knew I'd find you here!" The green haired newcomer says. He also has the same build as Ike…slim yet muscular…probably stronger than he looks. As compared to me I am very thin with long dark brown hair, doubt I could take a punch let alone a hit from a weapon.

"Hi, Boyd. What brings you here?" Mist says with a surprised but confused tone.

"Nothing Special. You said you were going to get the boss, but you never came back. I got picked to check up on you." Boyd says with a somewhat triumphant tone. Aaww how nice of him he's worried about a little girl…pedo.

"Oh! Sorry, I got caught up with Ike and my father." Mist says. I wonder if she knows he's a pedo. I think while laughing to myself quietly.

"It's nothing. Besides I figured I'd get a good laugh watching Ike get worked over by the boss." So the father is the boss of the mercenary group… where are the rest of them…and where the hell am I? "You…look fine. What happened?" Boyd asks Ike with a disappointed tone.

"Nothing at all. I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"You just missed it. Just a minute ago, he was out cold" Mist says while holding back her laughter.

"Mist!"…Ha ha looks like that hurt his pride just a little…or a lot.

"Ha ha! Sorry."

"You came at just the right time, Boyd. You can be Ike's sparring partner." Says the man…ok now it is really bothering me…what is his name! You guys were so convenient and helpful just a minute ago where are those people?

"What? Me?" Boyd says with more disappointment in his voice.

"I'm beginning to think it would be better if he sparred with someone closer to his own skill." Says Ike's father.

"…I understand. Thanks for your help, Boyd" awesome I get to see a whole sparring match instead of waking up to the end of one.

"Hmph! I don't know about this "closer to his skill" business, but I'm ready!" Boyd says picking up a wooden axe as his confidence rises. "All right. I'm ready for you! Let's go!" As Ike and Boyd began to fight it was clear that Ike had the advantage over Boyd. A few minutes later it was over and the winner was definitely Ike.

Boyd stood up and left the training field to stand by some trees. "Mist?" her father says as if expecting her to do something.

"Right here" she says as she runs to Ike and hands him something. She then runs back to her father and he steps into the clearing "Come on, boy! You going to give me a challenge this time around?" His father says issuing the challenge.

"Things will be different this time, father" Ike says readying his sword. As they began fighting I thought for sure that Ike was going to lose clearly his father was the better fighter and yet at the same time Ike was holding his own. I don't know how long the fight lasted due to my being entranced by the movements and dance of their blades, but in the end Ike won somehow.

"Ike! You were great!" Mist says. Really? Just a while ago she was worried for Ike….now she's happy? I don't get her at all.

"Father, you were holding back, weren't you?" Ike says to his dad. Figures as much…there's no way he should have beaten his father. "What? Is that true?" Mist says disappointment running across her face.

"If you could tell the difference, that means you're improving." His father says which I assumed to be a compliment.

"You know, I wasn't really giving it my all either…" Boyd says trying to keep what's left of his dignity.

"That is such a lie." Mist says and all I can think at this point is way to go Mist destroy his dignity! Ha ha ha.

Angered and defeated all Boyd said was "Bah"

"So, Father, does that mean you finally admit I'm ready?" Ike asks in a somewhat hopeful yet surprised tone.

"What, to join the company? To take on a job?"

"Yeah. I mean Boyd's already out there on the battlefield. I'm ready. I'm tired of being a trainee." Whoa whoa wait… Ike's just a trainee? Oh please tell me Boyd is not a trainee. I was kind of expecting what Boyd said next but with his pride now on the line I suppose you would be desperate too. "Listen, the difference between you and me is that I'm a professional."

"A professional who just got beat." Mist says to Boyd who suddenly got an angry face but with a sad tone. Such ruthlessness in such a small package… note to self: stay on Mist's good side. "That was just random chance. Random chance." Boyd says with a defeated tone in his voice and his head hung low with me thinking random chance my ass.

"You've got a point Ike…All right. Tomorrow will be your first day as a full-fledged mercenary."

"Really?" Ike says trying to hold back his excitement.

"But! If I think it's too much, you're back to trainee status. You'd better work hard."

With confidence Ike says "No problem. Watch-I'll catch up to everyone in no time."

"We'll see. We'd better be heading back to the fort. Everyone's waiting…And you, in the tree…care to join us out here?" Oh God he knew where I was?... Someone please save me.

I jump down from the tree and find myself in the awkward moment of being stared at by 4 strangers. "Who are you and what do you want?" Ike asks me.

"Well my name is Hawk. And I don't want anything really. I'm not from around here…I don't even know where here is. All I know is that I woke up in the forest wearing these robes with no memory of how I got here." I suppose I should keep it simple instead of babbling but I'm way too confused.

"Well then Hawk, my name is Greil I am the leader of these mercenaries and you are currently in the country of Crimea. Come on back to the fort with us and have some dinner. We can talk more then."

"Father are you sure? We don't know anything about this guy." Ike asks.

"What's the matter Ike scared? I think we can handle this guy if he causes any problems…by the looks of it he's only a mage." Boyd says. There he goes acting cocky again…wait did he say I look like a mage? Like a magic user? Is that even possible?

"Better be careful Boyd, a mage could easily burn you to a crisp if you're not careful." This time the voice belonged to Mist. At least she doesn't seem to be frightened.

"Well then Ike since you're so worried, until we learn more about him you will keep watch over him." Yes! I know his name now and I will learn more about this place…and myself hopefully.

When we reach the fort we are greeted by more strangers who I assume to be the rest of Greil's mercenaries. Two of them had green hair although one looked rather young to be a mercenary. I mean he looked about as young as Mist if not younger. The other one looked to be as old as or a bit older than Boyd but wore green medium armor instead of no armor like Boyd.

Standing next to them was a red haired woman who looked like she might be a good match for Greil if they started fighting wore a similar medium armor as the green haired man but white instead of green. A knight stood next to her wearing blue heavy armor with short brown hair as well as a shady looking person with long red hair standing in the shadows…probably an archer.

"Welcome back commander. And who might our guest be?" The red haired woman asks looking at me confused.

"He says his name is Hawk. Hawk this is my deputy commander, Titania." Greil says to me while motioning the other mercenaries to come meet me. "Nice to meet you Titania." I say as I hold out my hand to give her a hand shake.

Everyone except the one who stood in the shadows and the knight came to greet me; first, after Titania, was the man who wore green armor "The name's Oscar, it appears you've met my brother Boyd…this is our younger brother Rolf." Wow so two families are in the same mercenary company? Could be interesting I suppose.

"Nice to meet you two I'm Hawk." We shake hands and they step back with Titania.

"If it's not a problem may I ask who those two over there are?" I say pointing towards the two who decided not to come forward.

"That is Gatrie in the armor and Shinon is the one in the shadows." Titania says as we head inside the fort. Once inside we all sat around a table with our dinners and began conversing…although seeing as how the questions were mostly directed towards me it felt more like an interrogation.

"So Hawk, where are you from?" Greil asks me. I suppose he is entitled to know where I'm from since he's giving me a place to stay and food to eat.

"To be honest with you I'm not entirely sure never really left home much nor did I learn about the world. I only know where I was before I woke up in the forest." I can't even remember who I was staying with while I was there.

"And where might that be?" Greil asks again.

"Begnion. Though I'm not sure how I ended up there either. Before that I can only remember being on an island though I'm not sure where. Begnion is where I was most of my life."

"How did you come to be in Crimea then?" The deputy commander asks almost suspicious as if she thinks I'm lying.

"As I said in the forest I don't know I woke up to the end of Ike and Commander Greil's first sparring match with a pain in my head. I must have fallen and hit my head or something but I have no memory of how I ended up in that forest."

"Well I think that's enough questions for now. Let's enjoy the rest of our meal." Greil says and everyone begins their own conversations between each other. When I finished my meal I left and went outside to stare at the night sky… I don't know why but it seemed like it was something I had to do.

I don't know how long I was there but I woke up to the sound of footsteps walking towards me. I sit up and turn around to see Mist walking towards me with a plate of more food…desert by the looks of it.

"You left before you could have some desert so I saved some for you." Mist seems so kind now…a lot different than the girl who utterly destroyed Boyd's pride earlier today.

"Thanks." Was all I could say accepting the plate and beginning to eat the pie. And now the awkward moment when I have nothing to say and it's just silent. I finish my meal as she just stands there looking at me with her blue eyes. Kind of creepy but for some reason I don't mind.

"Delicious!" I say cleaning the last bit of food off my plate. She seems glad that I liked it. "Did you make this?" I ask even though I was sure I already knew the answer.

"Mhm, I'm glad you like it!" She says with a smile on her face. I set the plate aside and stare back up at the sky.

"You ever wonder what it must be like to fly?" I ask Mist as she stares up at the sky with me.

"Odd question, but I don't think I ever have." She says and I can tell she is curious now.

"I always dreamt of leaving Begnion and going somewhere far away. But, I always thought I would have to fly to get far enough away. I sure am glad that I'm not there anymore. Although I suppose I can't complain since I barely remember anything." She looks at me as if I just remembered something important if only for a brief moment.

We get up and head back into the fort. "Which way is my room?" I suppose it's a good thing she's with me otherwise I would get completely lost in here. "It's just down this way. I'll show you." I follow Mist to my room and we stop outside my door.

"I suppose I should get some sleep. Good night Mist." I say heading into my room.

"Good night." Mist leaves and heads down the hall to her room. I close my door and get into bed. It didn't take long and before I knew it I was out cold.


	2. The First Battle

Ch. 2

The First Battle

_What is this place? Some sort of dungeon? Why am I here? Can I escape…or at least get a bigger room? Steps…someone's coming, guess I'll try and make my escape now._

With a jolt I awake in a sweat to find myself in the same bed I fell asleep in…did I just dream about where I was from? No wonder I wanted to escape so badly…and of course the sun isn't up yet…how long was I asleep? I suppose it doesn't matter, I'll just stay up and explore the fort I guess.

I walk out of the room and bump into Commander Greil. "Ah! Sorry sir didn't see ya there." I say as I slowly adjust to the poor lighting.

"Good morning Hawk. What are you doing up so early?" Greil asks. Guess he is as surprised as I am that I'm up so early.

"Nothing. Woke up so I figured I'd walk around a bit and learn my way around the fort." Not much else to do considering I can't see…maybe if I bump into stuff enough I'll know the fort inside and out!

"Well you better get ready." He says as if ordering me around.

"Ready for what sir?" Oh geez please tell me I don't have to spar against him…I kind of like living. "If you are going to stay here you are going to earn your meals and living expenses like everyone else." He says and begins to walk away…wait did I just become a mercenary without the choice of refusing?

"But commander, I don't even know if I can use magic or anything like that." If I get attacked I'm basically dead…why me? "Guess we'll find out now won't we?" He says turning a corner and disappearing from sight…lucky me I get the chance to die…or live via massive amounts of luck. As I turn another corner I bump into someone else…just my luck.

"Sorry! I still can't see very well." Geez eventually one of them is going to get angry and kill me. Who did I bump into this time? Ah ok it's only Titania…I hope she don't kill me

"No worries. How are you this morning Hawk?" Titania says also leaving…why is everyone up so early? Is there that much work to be done?

"Confused…I don't know my way around the fort, I'm hungry, lost, and I think I became a mercenary a few moments ago so that I could earn my meals and living expenses." I say as my stomach rumbles yet again. "It wouldn't be too much trouble if I asked you to show me to the kitchen would it?" I ask…I feel like I'm going to die if I don't eat soon.

"No problem it's this way." We begin to walk towards what I hope is the kitchen and not the armory where I'm to be killed by someone I don't know all that well. As we get closer I begin to smell food and hear someone walking around the kitchen preparing food. Who would get up this early just to cook? Is commander Greil our cook as well as leader? Can't be him the footsteps are too light.

"Ah! Good morning Hawk." I hear Mist say with a smile as she is cooking breakfast.

"You are up early. And I thought I was up early." My stomach rumbles as I say that and I'm pretty sure she heard it.

"Sounds like someone is hungry; Breakfast will be ready shortly." She says while laughing. Now I'm really embarrassed. It's bad enough that she heard my stomach rumble but she's laughing at it too? Just kill me.

"Well I will leave you two alone; Keep an eye on him Mist we don't need him getting in trouble." Titania says right before leaving. Why would she do that… wait is she laughing? What the hell! She is evil…what am I supposed to do now? I bet she had this planned the whole time. It's awkward and quiet now…if I ask to help I might ruin something if I say nothing…ah who am I kidding? I might as well ask if there is something I can do.

"So-" We both say at the same time. Oh god it's getting more awkward!

"You first." I say quickly while looking down…Why the hell am I so nervous?

"I was wondering if you wanted to help me cook…If you're not busy that is." Is she nervous too? At least I'm not the only one.

"No I'm not busy…Greil asked me to get ready for a job, but seeing as how I have nothing I'm all set." All I can do now is hope I can cook.

A few minutes later I'm getting pushed out of the kitchen by Mist. "I will handle the cooking, why don't you go explore the fort some more?" Was I that bad? The fire was small…wait…please tell me I'm not on her bad side now…I don't have much pride or dignity. If she destroys them I might kill myself. I don't even want to think about it.

I began to walk around the fort getting myself lost some more. I stop in the doorway of a larger room and see Commander Greil, Ike, and Titania. Wonder what's going on here.

"Good morning, Ike. Today's your first day as a professional soldier, isn't it?" Titania asks.

"Yeah, and I'm ready to go." Ike says with an almost excited tone. At least one of us is ready…I'm scared for my life over here!

"What you are is late. The others were suited up and ready at the break of dawn." Greil says scolding Ike. The others are up? Only ones I've seen so far are Mist, Titania, and Greil; the fort must be bigger than I thought…I'm never going to figure this place out.

"Sorry. I'll get up earlier from now on. So, what's my first job?" Ike says. Wow he is prepared for everything isn't he? Guess that's natural when you're raised by a mercenary.

"I'm talking with Titania right now. Go wait outside until we're done." Greil says.

"Yes, sir." Ike says as he begins to leave. Where is Ike going? How many ways out of this room can there be? Bah. I'll figure it out later.

"Very well, Commandeer Greil, shall we continue?" Titania asks getting them back to the main subject of their conversation.

"You were telling me about some bandits that needed taking care of, weren't you?" Bandits; is that where I'm going? I hope I can use magic… or that I don't have to go. The latter would be better.

"Correct. The request comes from a nearby village. According to our reports, the bandits are not all that strong. I think it best if I ride out and take a look. I plan on taking Oscar and Boyd with me." Just Titania and the two brothers, will those three be enough to take out a group of bandits?

"Just the brothers? Hm. Go ahead and add Ike and Hawk to your team. Shinon, Gatrie, and I can handle the other two jobs easily enough. Titania, I'm leaving them in your care. I'm trusting you to show them the ropes." Curses, it looks like I really am a mercenary now.

"Understood, Commander. Come on, Ike. Let's get you set up. Hawk hurry up and get over here." What the hell? She's as bad as Commander Greil. I thought I was being quiet.

"All right…My first job." Ike says as I catch up to them. Am I the only one worried?

We begin moving through the fort; of course I'm completely lost so I don't have the option of running away. We enter another room that's filled with different weapons, some swords here a few lances there; a couple bows hanging on the wall… you know basic armory stuff. I see something that catches my eye so I walk up to it. On the shelf was a book…probably a magic tome. What's that say on the front…Thunder?

"That is a Thunder tome Hawk; take it, you can use it during today's job. Unfortunately that is the only tome we have; we don't get many mage recruits." Titania says walking up behind me.

"I don't even know if I can use magic; are you sure I should even go? I would probably just get in the way." I say looking away. Wouldn't you? I don't even know if I can use magic and I would prefer to live than die.

"Well you can't sit around here doing nothing so deal with it." Titania says in a commanding tone that has me shaking. Why does she have to be so scary? Guess I have no choice I think to myself quietly taking the tome and leaving the room. A few minutes later Titania and Ike emerge carrying a few weapons and begin heading to what I assumed to be the entrance to the fort. As we get closer I here two people walking down an adjacent hall way towards our direction. Oscar and Boyd perhaps?

"Captain Titania. Preparations are complete, and I'm ready to go. Good morning Hawk; you coming with us today?" Oscar says stopping in front of us. Where did he get his weapons? Different armory? Or does he have a secret stash in his room?

"It would appear so." I say trying to sound as positive as I can. For someone who is sure to die today anyways.

"Impeccable timing. It's nice to know we can count on you to be at the ready, Oscar." Wow it would appear that everyone is confident…am I the only one scared of death?

"Don't forget about me! I'm ready for the action!" Boyd says placing an axe over his shoulder.

"Is that so, Boyd? That's a surprise." Titania says to Boyd in almost mocking tone. I guess it's not just Mist that makes fun of Boyd then…note to self be more prepared than Boyd to avoid ridicule.

"Ha! Not today it isn't. As of today I am going to be the absolute model of perfection. I need to set a good example for Ike!" Boyd says shrugging off the insult as if it were nothing. Probably used to it by now. For some reason I doubt it will last long.

"I'll take your word for it." Ike says sounding as if he is thinking what I am thinking.

"Your first campaign at last. I know you've wanted this for a while. Are you nervous, Ike?" Oscar says to Ike in a somewhat excited tone. Guess he's happy that Ike is a full-fledged mercenary now too.

"I think I was more nervous last night. I could hardly sleep." This morning, I'm feeling pretty good. It's the calm before the storm." I could hardly sleep last night too…although I was thinking of other things and trying to remember my past.

"You should try to relax. You're not going to be out there alone." Oscar says reassuring Ike that everything would be fine…I just wish someone would reassure me…

"Yeah you're right." Ike says.

"Right. Everyone ready? Let's go." Titania says giving the order to move out.

As everyone is beginning to leave I stop and look behind me to see Mist standing in the entrance to the fort; 'You'll be fine' was all she said when she ran up to me and handed me a small loaf of bread; then she turned around and went back into the fort. With that we left the fort on our way to take out the bandits although I still didn't want to fight. But, some looks were given and some things were said so I gave in and decided not to fight it and just fight. After a while and climbing up a mountain path we reached our destination.

"This is the village of Caldea. The bandits are few, but we mustn't get careless." Titania says as the bandits come into view. "Our goal is to take out the bandit leader in front of the large building, and the secure that building." Oh is that all? Pfft cool I can die at a later date then.

"Ike! Hawk! Listen up! All this stuff is old news to me, but I can give a couple of rookies like you a few tips. First off, don't let up and jump out in front of everyone. You'll just end up getting hurt." Boyd says acting all tough again…unless…is he actually serious?

"Don't try to do too much you two. When things get dangerous, you can-and should-rely on us." Oscar says reassuring me that I probably won't have to do too much fighting. "As long as you watch how the enemy move carefully, you'll be fine. Think of this as a training mission."

"Got it." I say hoping that I didn't sound too afraid or worried.

"I'll do that. Oscar, Boyd, thanks for your help." Ike says. Well I guess I really am the only one worried.

"Don't mention it." Oscar says readying his lance.

"Just sit back and watch how a professional handles things!" Boyd says as he readies his axe. I hope he can back up his words with action.

"Enough chitchat, you guys! We've got work to do!" Titania commands as we all get into formation. "Hawk I want you to go to the nearby houses and let the villagers know that we have arrived and are here to help."

"Y-Yes M'am!" I say running to the nearest house while the others begin to engage the enemy. Better than fighting I suppose. I run to the closest house and knock on the door. An elderly man opens the door.

"Uh… you guys requested the help of the Greil Mercenaries; just thought you should know that we're here now." Never mind this is worse than battling I have to communicate with total strangers.

"You? But you're just a kid." The old man's words sting but he's not wrong I'm not that old. Maybe 15 or 16…I don't know, never bothered keeping track.

"My age doesn't matter I am a member of the Greil Mercenaries." That sounded pretty confident…maybe I can live and fight.

"Well take this. You look like you could use all the help you can get." The old man says handing me an iron sword. What am I supposed to do with a sword I'm a "mage". Now isn't the time to be picky better go to the next house.

This time a woman opened the door. "M'am I am a member of the Greil Mercenaries we have come to help rid you of these bandits."

"Oh thank the goddess someone has come to help us!" She seems very glad… I should go join my comrades in the fighting now they could use my help even if I am kind of useless.

As I leave the house I didn't notice the bandit coming up from my left. As he raises his sword he yells "DIE!" and before I even realized what was going on I turned around to face my certain doom. Seeing as how scared I was I raised my hands to defend myself but then it happened.

A look of terror and amazement crossed my face as the bandit was lit on fire and screaming. Did I just cast a spell? But how I only have a Thunder tome not a Fire tome…what kind of mage am I?

I hear other bandits shouting things like "A mage? Kill him quickly!" Soon after I'm being surrounded by several bandits…Where are the others when I need them? And right on cue Oscar comes riding in to my aid.

"Quickly Hawk! Get on!" Titania was right I can always count on Oscar. As quickly as I can I jump onto Oscar's horse casting another spell towards yet another enemy…by accident again…I have got to learn how to control this.

"How are you casting Fire Hawk? I thought it was Thunder tome." Oscar asks as surprised as I am.

"I don't know! But I can't control it; you might want to get away from me." I say as I begin to panic not wanting to hurt my own ally. The only thing I can think to do is point my arms out away from my allies and hope for the best.

"No way! We're comrades I cannot and will not abandon you!" Oscar said as he impaled another bandit. I have to admit I'm a little surprised myself. I figured mercenaries cared more about the job at hand than their comrades.

As we fight our way through the small group of bandits around us I can see Ike battling the leader as Titania and Boyd come to aid us.

"Have no fear! Boyd is here!" He says charging straight at a bandit. So much for his advice.

"What was the first thing I told you Hawk? You should have waited for one of us to join you before going that far off on your own." Boyd says with a hint of anger in his voice…wow it's not just Oscar that cares. But, why care about me? They don't know me. Not long after we all joined up at the large building Ike standing in front.

"Building secure, Titania." He said with a proud tone in his voice. Thank god it's over. Hm…I also have stopped casting Fire randomly…could it have been cast out of fear? A magical defense? Either way doesn't matter how can I cast magic without a tome?

"That's the end of it. Is everyone all right?" Titania asks making sure that her team is unharmed.

"I'm fine…thanks to Oscar that is." I say embarrassed because I could have gotten myself or someone else killed.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Ike says

"You know, you surprised me. To think that you've come so far." Titania says to Ike. She seems proud. How long has she known Ike and his family?

"Look at my father, though. I've still got such a long way to go." Ike says with a sad but determined tone. I suppose I would also want to try my hardest to become as strong as the person I admire most if I had someone like that.

"There's nothing you can do about that. After all, Commander Greil is-" Titania stops mid-sentence…just who is Commander Greil?

"Huh? What about my father?" Ike's curiosity is as strong as mine.

"Oh, nothing." Titania says trying to change the subject.

"'Nothing'? Now I'm really curious." Ike says trying to force an answer out of Titania.

"I have to agree with Ike, Titania. Just who is Commander Greil?" I don't know why I bothered saying anything I already knew I wouldn't get an answer.

"Don't worry. You'll learn all about it someday." Titania says ending the conversation.

With no idea of what to say we remain silent for a while until Boyd decides to talk. "Hey, Ike! That wasn't bad for your first battle. Not as flashy as my first time, though!"

"Yeah, you were a real standout. I'll never forget the sight of you so keyed up you broke your own axe." Oscar says while fighting back the laughter. I have to admit I was laughing too; the sight of Boyd breaking his own axe had me in pain from laughing so hard.

"Oscar! Dang it! You didn't have to bring that up!" Boyd says both frustrated and embarrassed.

"Anyway, Ike, Hawk. Congrats on finishing your first mission. Welcome to the group." Oscar says changing the subject back.

"Everyone's all right? Then let's get going. I'm sure Mist has a nice, hot meal waiting for us." Titania says as we all begin our way back to the fort. I began to think of what happened during the battle. How can someone cast magic whenever they want? Does it have anything to do with that dream I had?

Before I realized it we had made it back to the fort and we all went to eat dinner. Still off in my own little world I didn't even pay attention to Boyd's tale of what happened during the mission. And, when I finished my meal, I left the table without saying anything and went outside to look at the stars again.

"Why do you look at the stars Hawk?" Mist says almost scaring the life out of me. Was I so lost in thought that I didn't even hear her walking up behind me?

"I don't know. Helps me think I guess." I say as she sits next to me to join me at stargazing.

"What really happened today?" Mist asked. I can tell she really wants to know but, how would she react if I told her that I cast magic randomly…and without the use of tomes?

"I'd rather not talk about it…sorry." She doesn't need to know…at least not yet. Why make her worried, or worse, scared. I don't know why but after that I just left her there and went to my room.

"Hawk." The voice this time belonged to Titania.

"Yes Titania?"

"We need to talk. What was that at Caldea today? You cast magic without the use of tomes and by the looks of it you were casting it at random. What if you had hit one of your comrades?" She said in a voice that seemed filled with both anger and worry.

"I don't know how I cast Fire without a tome and I was not casting it at random. I couldn't control it. It started when I was attacked and didn't stop until the enemy had been defeated. I have a couple of ideas but-"

"Let's hear them." Titania says only prying further into what I don't even know myself.

"Well I think it happened as a reaction to my fear. Or it's a defense that occurs when I'm in danger." I probably sound crazy but it's the truth.

"You know I will have to speak to the commander about this right? Depending on what he says you will be asked to leave the Greil Mercenaries." She says and walks away. I can't help but feel worried that I will have to leave. I just made friends and I don't want to leave them.

After I could no longer hear Titania or anyone else I entered my room. I laid down on my bed and just waited to fall asleep.


	3. The Rescue

Ch. 3

The Rescue

_Why do I feel so tired? Was I sleeping? Guess I didn't make it out I'm in another room; did they move me while I was sleeping? Voices, what are they saying?_

"_Is it ready?" Unknown man says._

"_Yes sir. Everything is all set even our guest is ready." Guest? Am I that 'guest'? I have to get out of here; why can't I seem to move?_

"_Good, and do not let him escape this tower…after all he is the first one we have captured. We shall soon see if it works." If what works? What are they going to do to me? I have to escape…have to use…_

With a small scream I awaken. What was that…another memory? Why can't I remember where I was or what happened? Now is not the time to worry about that; I should get ready for any missions we may have today. Luckily I think I know the way outside, since I don't need tomes I'm all set. I will go talk to Titania see if we have any missions. Wow did I really just think that? Guess I enjoyed it more than I thought I would…even if I was scared for most of it.

When I finally walk outside the sun is already up. Did I oversleep? Strange…where is Titania? I hope they didn't leave me. Guess I can walk around for a while. After a while I see someone walking. Who's that? A priest? Maybe he's lost…let's go find out.

"Hello there, stranger." I say to the priest trying to be friendly sounding; he has orange hair and pale skin.

"Hello to you as well, I'm looking for someone; do you think you could help?" The priest seems friendly; maybe a little sickly though.

"Depends; who you looking for?" I have no idea if I can trust this guy. Better be on my guard around him for now.

"I am looking for my friend, Titania." The priest says. He knows Titania?

"Who are you and what do you want with Titania?" I say trying to sound tough…ish.

"My name is Rhys; I am a friend of hers. Are you a new recruit for the Greil Mercenaries?" He asks in a curious tone. This guy is confusing…a priest with connections inside a mercenary company…don't see that every day.

"Well to be honest with you…I have no idea; I have been looking for her as well. Maybe she's back up near the fort somewhere. My name is Hawk by the way…and yes I am a new recruit." I say as we begin heading back to the fort.

"Well then nice to meet you." Rhys says following behind me. The rest of our walk was in silence as we reached the fort; and then we saw Titania standing outside.

"Oh, Titania. So this is where you've been, is it?" Rhys asks as he comes up behind Titania.

"Rhys! Are you sure you're well enough to be up?" Titania asks in a worried tone.

"Yes. My fever's completely gone." Rhys replies. I knew he looked sickly.

"Are you sure? You still look a bit unsteady on your feet if you ask me." Titania says.

"Well I've been in bed for almost a week. I doubt anyone would be in top form-even you, my friend!" Wow a week? Just how sick does he get?

"I certainly hope that's all it is. In any case, until you're back at full speed, you won't be doing any work." What work does he do? "We're mercenaries, after all, and…" HE'S a mercenary? Ok then, and I thought I was pathetic.

"'Even the smallest lapse invites death'. Right? I know, I know. My apologies to the rest of the team, then. It looks like I'll be recuperating for a while longer." Rhys says rather disappointed if you ask me…guess he likes to help out when he can.

"Mm, it's for the best. Take your time and get fully rested and restored. You are our sole staff wielder, Rhys…The harder our work, the more we depend on you to be at our sides." Titania says in an encouraging tone that could make anyone believe in themselves.

"Thank you for the kind words." Rhys says appreciatively.

"Oh, by the way…That paper you've been carrying around…Is it a letter? I'd intended to go into town this afternoon. I can deliver it for you if you like." Titania says.

"Oh, no this is a letter for you, Titania."

"For me?"

"Not more than a little while ago, I went out for a walk around the yard and…a man I've never seen before came up to me and said…"'Give this to the red-tressed knight'." I thought I had seen someone walking away from him. Who was that man?

"How curious…I wonder what it is." Titania says confused. I have a bad feeling about that letter.

"I imagine it's a thank-you letter from the people of Caldea or something to that effect." Rhys says. I sure hope so.

As Titania reads it she gets a look on her face that looks like a mix between horror, surprise, and extreme anger. "Oh, no! How dare they!" She says in a tone that, to be honest, scared me… a lot.

"What did it say Titania? Is everything all right?" I ask in a worried voice.

"…Rhys! Take this letter to Oscar, and tell him to prepare for combat and wait for me! I have to go out for a moment." Titania says handing Rhys the letter and getting on her horse immediately. "I'll be right back! I'm counting on you!" she says as she begins galloping away.

"What on earth could that letter have said?" Rhys asks.

"Read it on the way to Oscar; it sounded important so let's hurry!" I tell Rhys as we begin running towards the fort.

Luckily we weren't far from the fort so it didn't take long for us to find Oscar. "Everyone! Come quickly!" Rhys says. He seems even more worried…what did that letter say?

"What is it? Why are you so agitated?" Oscar asks. He seems worried.

"It's Mist and Rolf…They…They've been taken by bandits!" Rhys says horrified and angry at the same time. When I heard this my worry became fury…and I was going to have someone's head by the end.

"What are you talking about Rhys?" Ike asks with anger in his voice.

"Earlier, by the gate…a man asked me to deliver a letter to Titania. It was from a group of bandits-kidnappers. What are we going to do?"

"Let me see the letter, Rhys." Oscar says. After he finished reading even Oscar seemed pretty upset. "I get it. They're after revenge. They want retribution for what happened at Caldea. But, taking children as hostages? What cowards!"

"Blast!" Ike says grabbing his sword and getting ready to leave.

"Wait, Ike. Where…Where do you think you're going?" Boyd says; although all of us wanted to leave immediately.

"I'm going to get Mist!" Ike says and runs out of the fort.

"I'm coming too! They are my friends and comrades!" I say getting ready to run out of the fort.

"But…No! Titania…She said she'd be right back. You're supposed to get ready and wait for her…" Boyd says. Strange…him? ACTUALLY listening!

"Hell no! We don't have time to wait!" I say ignoring Boyd and leaving to follow Ike.

"What do you think you're going to do on your own, rookie? Hold it! I'm going, too!" Boyd says following after me.

Well I guess Oscar and Rhys stayed behind like Titania wanted…I don't know where the bandits are hiding and well…we're lost.

"The road forks here…" Boyd says stumped as to which way we should go.

"Should we split up? Unless someone here knows which way to go." I say. Beats me, I haven't been around these parts as long as these two have.

"How am I supposed to know that?" Ike asks angrily. I understand his anger though considering I'm still angry…I will make those bandits pay for taking them.

"Hold it! Are you saying you don't know where we're going? Unbelievable! You'd better learn to think before you act, you moron!" Boyd says angrily. I guess both of them are worried about their family though.

"Shut your mouth, Boyd!" Ike says back just as angrily.

"Uh, guys…now's not the time for…" I say before getting interrupted.

"You think you can make me? Come on!" Boyd says as they get ready to fight.

Luckily at that same time Oscar and Rhys arrived. Thank god; if things had kept going there would have been some fighting between comrades.

"B-Both of you, this is no time to be fighting." Rhys says.

"I figured we'd find you like this." Oscar says in a calm voice.

"What are you two doing? So you're coming after all? It's not like you two chambermaids to be disobeying orders. What's the world coming to?" Boyd says mockingly though we are all grateful that they came.

"Oscar! Which way should we go?" I ask desperate to help Mist and Rolf.

"You're going to the bandits' stronghold, right? It's the left fork." Oscar responds in the same calm voice. Isn't he mad that we are disobeying orders?

"Got it!" Ike says running off again

"Wait for me Ike!" I say running after him.

A few minutes later we reached the stronghold…where are Mist and Rolf? As I'm thinking this the bandit leader walked out of the shack.

"So you came, did you, boys? Is it just you, then? You came alone? You seriously underestimate what we're capable of doing to you. Now, where's that snobby, red-haired wench you ride with?" The bandit asked. A little full of himself isn't he?

"Titania's not here. It's just us. All I want to know is whether Mist and Rolf are safe." Ike says to the leader.

"Yeah, of course. We've got 'em locked up safe and sound in that little shack back there. We got no problem with those brats. What we're after is a little revenge. We want the redhead and her pups. And that'd be you boys." The leader says to us. I didn't notice it until he began his talking but I'm pretty sure the sky is getting darker.

"Then let them go before you regret crossing us!" I say my rage boiling more and more the longer we were kept waiting.

"You're here, but Red ain't. We'll just keep the brats until she arrives." Their leader says with a chuckle…I am going to make him regret that.

"Why you filthy…" I say getting even angrier.

"If you're so impatient, I guess we can start by killing you whelps. You all ready to die? Hey! Come on out! It's time to play, lads!" he says retreating back towards the shack as his underlings come out from various places.

"There…There are so many…But, we must not lose!" Rhys says with an angry yet scared tone in his voice.

"Rhys, move to the rear! If anyone gets injured, we'll need you on hand with your staff." Oscar says as we get into formation.

"Take 'em, lads. Without the red-haired knight, they're no match for us!" The leader yells.

"We'll make you regret those words!" Ike yells back.

In my anger I didn't care so I ran towards the nearest enemy trying to cast Fire…But what I cast was definitely not Fire, as I said my chant a bolt of lightning came down from the sky and struck down the bandit instantly…and of course not expecting that I was shocked and afraid…again.

"What the hell!" I say jumping back. I was expecting Fire; I was prepared for Fire…Not lightning. What…? Is it a different spell depending on my emotions? Can I control it at all or are lightning bolts just going to rain down over the battlefield?

Due to my lack of paying attention I didn't notice the sound of someone running at me from behind. When I turned around the bandit was already swinging his weapon. Before the sword made contact out of nowhere Ike was standing between us blocking the sword with his.

"Don't be so reckless, Hawk! You're a mage not a knight. Watch your back or they will surround you!" Ike says pushing aside the bandit's sword and jumping back as I try to cast Fire again. No of course not just more lightning.

"Hey, Hawk! Make up your mind would ya? You going to cast Thunder or Fire?" Boyd says jokingly as he came to back me up as well.

"Very funny." I say turning around and casting Thunder again. "It's not like I know what I'm going to cast…I'm trying to cast Fire."

"Well while you figure that out you just let me handle these guys. After all I am a professional." Boyd says laughing as another enemy comes running towards us.

As the bandit is running towards us I hear a horse galloping towards us and within seconds Titania arrives on the scene taking out the bandit. "I told you to wait for me! What if you had been hurt, you fools." Titania says angrily. It's good to know she cares.

Looking out towards the shack I notice Oscar and Ike pushing through the bandits towards the shack. Wait when did Ike leave me and Boyd? "Can we talk about this later, Titania? I know we disobeyed orders; but let's rescue Mist and Rolf first." I say running to join Oscar and Ike.

I caught up to Ike and Oscar while they were busy with their opponents and moved on to find the leader…if I can take him out the others might give up.

"So you think you can take me? Ha! When I'm done with you and the red-haired wench I'll cut up those two brats as well." The leader says to me. My rage came back after it had begun to go away but now…now it was twice as powerful.

"I'll make you pay!" I yell casting Thunder yet again as the leader raises his axe to strike me down. The bolt of lightning came down and struck the axe and going through the bandit leader. As if stunned the leader just stood there…although I could tell he was already dead.

"Why do I feel so… tired?" I say as I fall backwards and pass out.

I have no idea what happened after that but I wake up to a sudden stop. Am I on a horse?

"Oh look our sleeping friend is finally awake. If you're going to sleep during a mission don't even bother showing up." Who is speaking?

"Shinon! That isn't fair to Hawk. I'm sure he did his best." Mist says. Thank goodness she's safe.

"What happened after I uh…passed out?" I ask.

"Well after we went to the shack one of the bandits was holding Mist and Rolf. They told us to lay down our weapons." Titania told me. "Once we laid them down he was going to kill them anyways which is when Shinon shot the bandit."

"A single arrow, right between the eyes. No one but me could have made that shot." Shinon says in a snobby kind of tone. Kind of full of himself as well…maybe more so than Boyd.

"Sorry about passing out. Guess I can only use so much magic before I waste all my energy." I say still tired. Note to self: bring tomes as back up. "I'm starving. What's for dinner?" I guess using too much magic also makes me hungry.

"Mist's Magical Meatloaf." Mist says with a smile.

"Sounds good to me." I say jumping down from the horse and following everyone into the fort.

Dinner went as usual. I ate enough for three people and left the fort to go watch the stars. Of course I knew Mist would bring me dessert. I never ask but she always brings some.

"They told me what you did today…thank you Hawk." Mist says. Does she know that I didn't use tomes?

"I just did what I could to help. Then I passed out…I could have been killed while I was unconscious. I just ended up getting in the way." I say embarrassed and disappointed.

"That's ok. You still helped rescue me and Rolf. I couldn't find your tome though…sorry." So she doesn't know? Might as well tell her I guess…she deserves to know.

"That's ok…I didn't even bring one. I don't need them. Although I might bring them so I don't pass out again; at least for when I get tired." I say.

"Really? That's cool! I have never met anyone who could use magic without the use of tomes before." Mist says in an excited tone. She thinks it's cool? That makes me feel a bit better.

The rest of the time was spent in silence as we watched the stars in the nighttime sky. After a while we both got up and walked back to the fort and stopped outside my door.

"Goodnight…and uh…I'm glad you're safe Mist." I say as I walk into my room and shut my door. I don't understand why I get so nervous around her she's just a friend…right? I go over to the window and look outside…I doubt I will be able to sleep tonight.

* * *

Thanks to StrifeOkami for his help. Let me know what you think.

If you enjoy Mass Effect check out the stories Vanguard (StrifeOkami) and Odyssey 2183 (Grey Spectre Warden Boom)

If you enjoy Assassin's Creed check out Creedless (FlurryofStrife). They are amazing.

Until next week.


	4. Pirates? Why Pirates?

Ch. 4

Pirates? Why Pirates?

The night seemed to drag on forever. Couldn't sleep no matter how hard I tried, and I kept pacing back and forth across the room. Eventually the sun began to come up so I knew it was time to get up so I walked out of my room…right into someone.

"Ah, good morning, Hawk." Commander Greil said to me. "Please follow me." Uh what? I just left my room what could I have possibly done wrong? I hate my life.

"Y-Yes sir." I say trying to hide my fear. Not long after we began walking we entered a room. Ike was pacing around the room while Oscar, Boyd and Rhys were all sitting.

"You wanted to see me, Father?" Ike asks. So I'm not the only one he wanted? That makes me feel a bit better.

"Sit Down, Ike. WE haven't had a chance to speak yet. Titania told me what happened while I was gone…about the kidnappings. About my own men disobeying Titania's direct orders." Greil said with disappointment and anger in his voice. Does he know about me not needing tomes or did Titania forget to tell him that?

"I was the one who left first. I'll take responsibility for everything." Ike says.

"Hey! I went too; therefore I deserve punishment as well." Wait…am I asking to be killed?

"No fair playing the martyr! Nobody made me go with you. I left of my own free will! I'm ready to accept my punishment, too! Wait, what am I saying?" Boyd says. Wow looks like we both realized what we said.

"Please, Commander Greil! Titania entrusted me with her orders. If anyone's to blame for this mess, it's me. I'm the one who should be punished…" Rhys says with just a hint of sadness.

"I set a poor example, Commander Greil. Any punishment should be mine alone." Oscar told him. I guess that makes us all friends. Yay I got more friends now!

"I'm pleased to see that you are willing to shield one another. However…Regardless of your reasons, you disobeyed the orders of a superior officer. You are confined to quarters for ten days." Ten days! I barely survived one night! Now I really hate my life.

"But, Father! They did what they did to help me and Rolf!" Mist says to her father. Where did she come from? I didn't see her when I walked in.

"Rules exist for a reason, Mist. Men won't survive on a battlefield if they do as they wish without so much as a by-your-leave." Greil says and that was the end of that.

"Understood commander. We shall accept the punishment." I figured I should say something before we get in more trouble.

"That being said, we've got more work than we can handle. Your punishment is deferred until things calm down." Thank God. I don't think I could have lasted ten days. "Oscar, Boyd, Rhys. You come with me." Greil says and leaves to go…wherever it is he's going.

"The rest of you are with me." Titania says. Now where did she come from? I have got to learn to pay more attention.

"If I may ask what's our job for the day?" I'm probably going to regret that.

"We are heading to Port Talma to take care of a group of pirates that are causing trouble for the locals." She says tossing me a tome and Ike a sword. "Let's move!" Yeah I regret asking.

"Why pirates?" I ask.

"Would you rather stay here and have a rigorous sparring session with me?" Titania asks with an evil smile.

"Pirates it is." I say with my head hung low.

As we set off for Port Talma I couldn't help but feel like I was being watched…of course every time I looked I WAS being watched…by Shinon. Did I do something to anger him? He always glares at me and to be honest, it's very creepy. I don't know why but I get a bad feeling whenever I am around him. Once we got to the port we were greeted by an elderly gentleman; Titania and him began discussing a bunch of stuff that I couldn't care less about…I just wanted to finish and go back to the fort and sleep.

"So uh, is that the ship with the pirates?" I ask pulling out my Thunder tome. I don't know why but I felt strangely calm getting ready for battle this time around.

"Aye. They sailed into port a few days ago and have been causing trouble ever since." The old man says to us in a worried tone.

"Don't worry; I'm sure we can take care of them." Ike says trying to reassure him.

"Feathering sea scum is like shooting apples off a tree. Let's do the job and get out of here." Shinon says in his usual 'I couldn't care less' attitude. I do not like him at all.

"Ho, Deputy Commandeer! You want standard thunder and lightning maneuvers here?" Gatrie asks. He seems rather excited.

"Uh; What?" I say completely confused and clueless as to what that is.

"Err…Thunder and lightning?" Ike asks just as confused as I am.

"Yeah! I crash into 'em like thunder and Shinon rains arrows down on 'em like lightning!" Gatrie says. Sounds exciting; with any luck I won't have to fight much.

"Sounds good." Titania says.

"What is our part in this?" I ask wondering if I will even have to fight.

"Let's hold back and let Shinon and Gatrie soften them up. Once they've whittled down the numbers, we'll all rush the ship and wipe out whatever's left. Are you all ready? Greil Mercenaries, move out!" Titania says.

"I see something heading towards the ship! Is that a…Pegasus?" I ask seeing it fly towards the ship.

"Don't worry about that, Hawk. Go visit some of the townsfolk while Gatrie and Shinon deal with the enemy." Titania yells.

"Yes Ma'am!" I say running to the nearest house. I'm greeted by a man with bright blue hair. I'm not sure what but something seems odd about him.

"This town seems quite unruly, wouldn't you say? Is it always this dangerous?" He asks.

"Uh…well…I don't think so. Currently there are pirates causing trouble for the townsfolk." I say.

"That would explain why the people here seem so anxious. You appear to be a mercenary. Would I be right in supposing that you were hired to clean out the pirates?" He says.

"Yeah, that's why we're here." I look like a mercenary?

"I came all this way to see the world-famous fish market, and I'll never do so with these ruffians around. Best of luck to you." He tells me.

"Thanks." I say as I begin to leave.

"Wait; Here take this. It's an elixir. It should help you if you run into trouble with these pirates." The odd man tells me.

"Thank you sir." I say as I begin to leave again.

"Hawk! Hurry up we're storming the ship now!" Titania yells.

"On my way!" I yell running out the door and heading to the ship.

By the time we got there the Pegasus Knight was surrounded by more pirates that were on board. So as quickly as we could we took out the pirates surrounding her and while Titania, Shinon, and Gatrie proceeded to take out the rest of the pirates; Ike and I talked to the knight.

"Uh, Miss are you all right?" I ask her.

"…So cold…So…huh?" She asks.

"Don't give up!" Ike tells her as a pirate runs towards us. Quickly enough though Ike takes down the pirate.

"Wh-Who are you?" She asks us. Why haven't we exchanged names?

"We are mercenaries hired by the people of Port Talma to get rid of these pirates." I tell her.

"Are you…are you going to help me?" she asks us. At that moment Ike and I switched so he could take a break from fighting.

"Of course. Let me and my companions take it from here. You can escape while the pirates are distracted." Ike tells her as I cast Thunder on a pirate who was running to attack Gatrie from behind. The coward.

"Oh, hey, that would be fantastic! Thanks so much! I don't know what to say." She says in a grateful tone.

"You don't have to say anything. It's all in a day's work." I hear Ike tell her as another pirate comes running at me. And yet again right before I can cast a spell an arrow hits the pirate. Is it me or is Shinon trying to prove that he is better than me?

"Pshaw! You're helping me out! I should show my gratitude somehow." Ask her to join the Greil Mercenaries? She was holding her own against the pirates…until she got surrounded.

"That's…nice, but I can't think of anything off the top of my head. Just get yourself somewhere safe, please." Ike tells her. Really; you couldn't even bother to ask her to join the Greil Mercenaries? Although I couldn't…it's not my place, but Ike is the Commander's son…can't he ask?

"Well then…I'll come talk to you about repaying my debt later. What's your name, handsome?" She asks.

"Um…I'm Ike. I'm with the Greil Mercenaries." Ike says.

"Ike! Got it! And I'm Marcia, a Pegasus Knight of Begnion. Don't forget me! All right, I'll be seeing you later!" Marcia says as she flies away on her Pegasus.

"Well she is definitely...unique?" I say with a small chuckle.

"That she is. It looks like the others have finished as well. Let's go, Hawk." Ike says.

"Titania we have succeeded in protecting the Pegasus Knight." Ike says.

"Very good. We've driven off all the pirates. Your people will suffer no more indignities at their hands." Titania tells the old man we talked to before the battle.

"Oh! That is joyful news! Here is your pay, as promised." He says handing Titania a small bag of gold coins.

"Thank you very much. And if you ever find yourself in need again, do not hesitate to send word." Titania says.

"Of course, of course. All of you put on a most marvelous show-such combat skills! To be honest, I was expecting Commander Greil to be here today. When I saw just you, nothing more than, no offense, a band of children…well, I will admit to being a tad nervous!" The old man says with a small chuckle.

"I apologize for troubling you. Unfortunately, Commander Greil had other pressing matters to attend to." Titania says.

"Oh, no. Don't apologize. There's no need. After all, you got rid of those brigands, and you did impeccably well!" he tells us in grateful tone.

"No problem sir. All in a day's work for the Greil Mercenaries." I say happy that I got a compliment from someone; even if it was meant for all of us.

"As a matter of fact, you're more than good enough to be in the royal army if you so desired. Especially your Commander Greil. He's far and away better than most any general I've seen hereabouts. Er…What I mean to say is…Don't you think running off pirates is a bit…beneath you?" The old man asks us. I don't know if I'm good enough to be in the royal army. But, I do know that it's not beneath us to run off pirates…is it?

"That's not-" Titania says. She must be thinking the same as me.

"Don't get me wrong, now. You certainly helped all of us simple folk out. Even so, it seems to me the proper place for you and your Commander Greil is in the service of the Crimean throne! Well, that's what this old man thinks." He says. Seems nice but if we didn't help the simple folk who would?

"We-and Commandeer Greil-are quite satisfied with the work we do now." Titania says to the old man.

"You've nary a selfish bone among you. Well then, rest assured we'll speak again if any problems arise. Thank you again." The old man says just before leaving.

"Hmm…"

"Something wrong, Titania?" I ask as we stand there in silence.

"No, of course not. Our mission is complete, and that's all that matters. You did well today, every one of you." Titania says.

"Pah! Jobs like this barely make a dent in my incurable boredom! It's like that old buzzard said, there's better work out there. Something with a bit of challenge" Shinon says. What is that guy's problem? Does he think he is better than us; and thinks that this kind of work is beneath him? I knew I didn't like him.

"Shinon!" Titania says disgusted by what he said.

"I'm joking. J-O-K-ing" Shinon says in a somewhat frustrated tone. I don't believe a word he's saying though…how could I? The guy's whole attitude screams 'I'm better than all of you'.

"Come, Titania. Be honest. Don't you find the work we do to be a bit…disheartening? Unglamorous?" Gatrie says. Ok I'm a little surprised by that.

"What? You too, Gatrie? What's gotten into you?" Titania says. This is insane what makes them think they're better than the rest of us?

"Please! Look, we're not a band of money-hungry recruits. We're professionals, and we're very good at what we do. Shinon and I have discussed this at length. All of this mundane mercenary work is unworthy of us. We're wasting our talents." Gatrie says.

"Hold it! What makes you two think what we do is a waste? If it wasn't for us what would have become of this town? Or all the other people we've helped? Why are you two so ungrateful for all we've done for these people?" I say angrily.

"Like you do anything? You're new to this, boy. If it wasn't for us you would be dead by now." Shinon says to me angrily.

"You want to try me, Shinon?" I say trying to act brave and unafraid. Granted I would probably lose if we started fighting.

"Enough!" Titania says. "Are you two telling me that you think Commander Greil is mismanaging us? Do I have that right?" Titania says.

"Whoa! Hold it right there! That's not what we're saying at all!" Gatrie says.

"What is it, Titania?" Ike says. Why has he been so quiet?

"What's what?" Titania asks him.

"You seem so angry. It's not like you." Ike responds. That's true I don't think I've ever seen Titania this angry.

"Hmph…"

"Exactly! Ike's got the right of it!" Gatrie tries to explain.

"It's just that I…Look, we do good work, and we help people. I want you to be proud of that. I felt that you were saying that work that doesn't bring fame or fortune isn't worth doing, that's all. Sorry." Titania says apologetically.

"No…you're right. We are the ones who ought to apologize." Gatrie says.

"Enough. Let's get going, shall we? Rest is part of our jobs, too. We can't go into the next battle exhausted." Titania says mounting her horse.

"Now that's a plan! I'm so hungry, I could eat a wyvern!" Gatrie says as he begins heading back towards the fort.

"Titania!" Ike says.

"What is it, Ike?" Titania asks.

"If you're looking for pride…I have it." Ike says.

"Hm?"

"You and my father have kept this mercenary group together. And I'm…just…proud to be a part of it. That's all" Ike says as he begins following Gatrie.

"Ike…" Titania says as she leaves as well.

"Pah. I'm surrounded by idealistic fools. What's so wrong with fame? What's wrong with having money to live well?" Shinon asks the air.

"Nothing. But if you do it because of greed then you lose sight of all the principles that the Commander and the others have been trying to teach us. It's as Titania says we help people because they need it…not because we want money." I say leaving Shinon there to think about what I've said.

It felt like forever before I reached the fort and to my surprise by the time I got there Mist was already waiting for me, watching the stars with a plate of dinner.

"Why hello there." I say walking up and sitting down to look at the stars.

"Hello, Hawk. How did the mission go?" She asks with a smile.

"Well it was a success, but there are some things I need to think about." I say.

"Sounds like a lot happened today." Mist says.

"Yeah, but it's nothing that can't work itself out." I say.

"The stars are nice tonight, aren't they?" Mist says changing the subject.

"Yes; they are very nice tonight." I say. And now is where it gets awkward and quiet because neither of us knows what to say.

So; we just sat there looking at the stars in silence. What should I say? Should I say anything about what happened at the mission? Should I tell her about my dreams? Probably not…as far as I know they are just that…dreams. As far as the mission goes she changed the subject herself so I should probably avoid that.

"Well, I'm glad you all got back safe." Mist says out of nowhere.

"Thanks. I'm kind of tired myself…if you would excuse me I think I'm going to go to sleep." I say standing up.

"Okay…good night…" Mist says. Her voice seems kind of sad. I wonder what she could be thinking about.

"You Okay? Anything you want to talk about?" I ask.

"Not really. Just kind of thinking, thank you though." Mist says trying to make herself seem happy.

"You sure?" I ask knowing that she would probably lie again. I suppose once she is ready she will tell me herself.

"Yeah, I'm fine don't worry." Mist says with a small smile.

"Okay; well, then good night, Mist." I say as I head into the fort to go to sleep.

I entered my room and laid on my bed. I can't help but wonder what Mist was thinking about. Could she be thinking about what my past may hold? Or about her own past? Come to think about it I don't think I know much about Mist's past. It didn't take too long but soon after that thought I fell asleep.

* * *

I would like to thank all the people who have left a review and helped me improve.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

Any comments, questions, or concerns? Leave a review I'm open to criticism XD


	5. Roadside Maiden

Ch. 5

Roadside Maiden

"_I thought you said he was one of them!" I hear the unknown man say. Why do I feel so tired again? What did they do to me?_

"_We are positive that he is one of them sir." The soldier tells the older man. He was dressed in robes like a mage…but he looks like he's ready to die of old age…or hunger._

"_Then you tell me why the elixir has had no effect on him. It's supposed to change him into one of Them." The man tells the soldier. One of Them? Who are They? What was this 'elixir' supposed to do?_

"_I'm not sure; Maybe the half-breeds aren't affected by it." Half-breed? Is that why I had to leave the kingdom of..._

I awake with a sweat. What kingdom? What did they mean by Half-breed? Are these dreams just dreams? Too many questions and too few answers. No matter time to get ready I suppose.

I left my room and began wandering the halls of the fort looking for something to do. By the looks of it I woke up later than usual; everyone else is probably already up.

A few moments later I passed a young man with long black and a red mark in the center of his forehead. He was dressed kind of like me except my robes are white and his were black; he appears to be heading towards the mess hall. Who is he? I decided to ignore it thinking that maybe I'm just seeing things and went to look for Titania or Greil.

"Oh, hey, good morning, Ike." I say walking into a rather open area of the fort.

"Hm? Oh good morning, Hawk." Ike says.

"Ike! Ike! I've got to tell you something! Listen to this!" Mist says running up to us.

"Settle down, Mist. It's too early for you to be yelling like that. Now, what's going on?" Ike says.

"Soren's back! He just arrived not too long ago." Mist says confused but happily.

"Really? That's odd. He wasn't supposed to be back for a while yet." Ike says confused.

"Who is Soren?" I ask. Could he be the man I saw earlier?

"Soren is Ike's best friend…and a member of the Greil Mercenaries." Mist says.

"Let's find out why he's back so early. Where is he?" Ike asks. I thought he'd be more excited at the return of his best friend.

"In the mess hall. I think he wanted to talk to father." Mist says.

"Right. Let's go check there." Ike says as we begin heading to the mess hall.

By the time we got there Commander Greil and Titania were already speaking to the man I had passed earlier; I guess he really is Soren then.

"…Troubling news indeed. Gather the troops." Greil says. He seems slightly disturbed.

"Yes, Commander." Titania says to the Commander.

"If you two have time to waste, you've got time to work. Get over to the briefing room." Commander Greil ordered.

"Right away, Commander." I say following Ike to the briefing room.

"Hey! What's going on around here?" Ike asks as we walk into the room.

"Bad news. Something big is happening, and we need to formulate a plan of action." Who spoke? Wasn't anyone I know…must have been Soren.

"Soren!" Ike says. Now he's excited?

"Hello, Ike. Long time, no see." Soren says casually.

"I'm happy to see you're back. But what happened? I thought you were going to be studying for a while longer." Ike says.

"It's a long story…" Soren begins to tell Ike before he was interrupted.

"What's the hold up? Get over here now!" Greil ordered.

"Let's go. I'll fill you in later. And we can introduce ourselves to each other later as well." Soren says looking at me the same way that man at Port Talma was looking at me. Do I look funny or something?

"You all probably remember that Soren's been training with another mercenary group. Well, he's back now. And he has some unbelievable news." Greil begins the meeting.

"And if I may ask? What is this news?" I ask.

"It's Crimea and Daein. They've gone to war." Why does he seem like he doesn't care?

"Uh…Where is Daein?" I ask not knowing much about any of this country business.

"It's a country on the eastern border of Crimea." Soren says.

"War? It…It can't be!" Mist says terrified.

"That's why I've called everyone here. Soren has some more information. Go ahead, Soren." Greil says.

"All right." Soren says pulling out a piece of parchment. "Take a look at this map."

"Ah. It's a map of Crimea. Quite detailed, from the looks of it." Greil comments as Soren continues.

"Yes. This is Melior, Crimea's Capital. Our base of operations is…right about here." Soren says marking two different places on the map. "Everything started three days ago. I needed to do some research, so I went to the archives of Melior's royal library. Without warning, the scream of a terrible beast-a wyvern, perhaps-rent the air, and the building was rocked by a tremor. I rushed outside and saw wave after wave of knights, cavalry, and wyvern riders, each clad in glistening ebon armor, black as night." Soren says describing what occurred that day.

"The Daein army?" Greil asks.

"Correct."

"Why? Did Crimea do something to anger Daein?" I ask.

"As you know, relations between Crimea and Daein have never been…friendly. However, the past centuries have seen only minor skirmishes, nothing that has ever approached the scale of this attack." Soren explains.

"So why the sudden change? What made Daein attack Crimea's capital?" Boyd asks.

"I don't know but, it was brutal and without warning. Daein laid the capital to waste. I've never seen destruction on this scale before." Soren says. What kind of kingdom would attack someone without warning; or some kind of reason?

"A swift attack, devastating and brutal…a daring gambit, indeed." Titania says.

"But if it succeeds, a very well-chosen one at that. Yes, the king of Daein would not hesitate to employ such treacherous tactics. What happened next?" Greil asks. Is he going to side with Crimea or Daein if we get involved?

"King Crimea's brother deployed the Crimean army to meet the attack. The king ordered his people to flee the city before the battle reached them. Fearing the worst, I also fled and made my way here." Soren says folding up the map.

"So we don't know how the tides of battle flow now, do we?" Greil asks. "That's all right. Word of the war cannot have traveled far yet. We may well be the first ones who know of it out here. You did well to bring us this information, Soren. I know some risk was involved." Greil says.

"It was nothing." Soren says. Is it just me or does Soren have no emotions? He seems uncaring about everything.

"Daein has invaded Crimea…we may be mercenaries, but this still affects us." Titania says. I think at this point we are all thinking the same thing. Which side will we join up with; Crimea, or Daein?

"What are we going to do?" Ike asks.

"That's the question of the day. Anyone have any ideas? Hawk?" Greil asks.

"Don't ask me. I don't know much about these places. Besides, I'm from some island…and Begnion." I say.

"I see. How do you see it Titania?" Greil asks. Why would he ask me? Because I'm more of a third party with no ties to either country?

"Crimea is the closest thing our company has to a homeland. The Crimean royal family and noble houses have been generous, providing us with many lucrative jobs. From a moral standpoint as well as a business one, it's in our best interest to help Crimea." Titania says. She has a valid point. But don't mercenaries usually only work for money?

"And you, Soren?" Greil asks.

"I agree on one point: we are mercenaries. We are no Crimea's private militia. No coin has crossed our palms, so I think we should stay out of it." Soren answers. That's a very…business point of view.

"So you would have us sit and watch as Crimea is overrun?" Greil asks.

"I would. Daein's troops are superior in both numbers and morale. The chances of Crimea's victory are slim indeed." Soren says in his uncaring tone. Isn't this his homeland too? Wouldn't he want to save it? I think I would if this was my homeland.

"But Crimea is ruled by King Ramon, who is known throughout the land for his wisdom. And his brother, Duke Renning, is said to possess peerless valor and courage. Daein may not find victory so easily." Titania says. I don't think this is going to end well.

"Valor and courage are for children's tales. In terms of military prowess, Daein's King Ashnard is every bit Lord Renning's equal. Victory will hinge on troop numbers and supplies, and Daein is superior in both. I think the outcome is painfully obvious." Soren says.

"I hate to admit it, Titania but Soren does have a point." Oscar says. He sure has been quiet.

"Curse you, Soren! Crimea is not doomed! If they can turn aside Daein's initial thrust and turn it into a test of endurance..." Titania begins to say angrily. Figures as much.

"With the Crimean army both demoralized and ill prepared? They simply will not be able to hold out that long." Soren says. He's not even angry? Maybe he really doesn't have any emotions.

"All right. That's enough. Both of you. I hear what you say. However, we must ascertain the current situation before we decide on any action. We'll send a scouting party to get a closer look at Melior. Ike, I want you in charge of this. Assemble your men and get going." Greil says ending the argument before it could get out of hand.

"What? Me?" Ike asks. Why would Commander Greil put Ike in charge? He's not very experienced yet.

"Titania will accompany you as an advisor." Greil adds.

"Commander, you must be joking! He's just a boy, and he's had barely more than a taste of battle. What do you expect a whelp like him to accomplish?" Shinon asks. Well I guess he would say something wouldn't he? He probably wants to be in charge instead.

"Ah, Shinon. Since you're so concerned, you can go as well." Greil says. Ha ha now Shinon is going to have to follow Ike's orders.

"Wait, that's not what I... Blast." Shinon says in a defeated tone.

"Who else... Gatrie, Rhys, Hawk, and Soren. That should do." Greil tells us. I'm ok with following Ike's orders I don't know about Gatrie and Shinon though. They don't seem to be too fond of Ike.

"Father, wait... Why do you want me-" Ike asks.

"That was an order. Get moving. There's no time to waste." Greil orders and immediately I leave to go grab my Thunder tome from my room.

After I grabbed my tome I opened my door and began running towards the entrance to the fort to meet up with the rest of the team. Unfortunately every time I'm running around the fort I always bump into someone. This time…it was Mist.

"Ow. I-I'm sorry." I say.

"No. It's my fault I wasn't paying attention." Mist says.

"But I shouldn't have been running so quickly around these narrow hallways." I say.

"Don't worry about it, Hawk." Mist says with a small smile.

"I'll be looking forward to tonight's dinner." I say with a smile. "Now if you'll excuse me I must be going." I say as I help her up and leave to join the others.

"You sure take your sweet time don't you rookie?" Shinon asks in a smug tone. I really hate that guy.

"I kind of ran into something sorry I'm late." I say. Bastard. The more I talk to him the more I hate him.

"Anyways, let's get going. We have a long way to go." Ike says.

We had been walking for a while in one of those awkward silences. Like when me and Mist are watching the stars and no one says anything. I was afraid to speak and get yelled at for ruining the silence. Luckily it wasn't me but Soren that broke the silence.

"So, Hawk. You're a mage too?" Soren asks.

"Yeah, but I'm able to use magic without the need for tomes." I say. I wonder if I should have said that. Too late now.

"Then why bring the Thunder tome?" Soren asks in a curious tone.

"Well…last time I used my magic too much without a break I kind of…passed out." I say embarrassed.

"Yeah and if it wasn't for me you're lack of discipline could have gotten Mist and Rolf killed!" Shinon says angrily. Why does he have to be like that? Did I do something that he didn't like? Besides passing out?

"Shut up, Shinon." I say angrily.

"You wanna run that by me again rookie?" He says drawing an arrow. He did that fast…this could end badly.

"Enough! We're on a mission. Your squabble can wait until the mission's finished." Titania yells angrily.

"Bah. I don't need to waste my arrows on him anyways." Shinon says lowering his bow.

"In other words, you don't have to stamina to sustain magic use for long?" Soren asks continuing his interrogation.

"Yeah. I'm working on that…slowly." I say. "What happened here?" I ask horrified at the sight of all the dead bodies lying everywhere.

"This is…This is terrible!" I hear Rhys say.

"Alright everyone split up, look for survivors." Titania says.

"Hawk, follow me we'll look over here." I hear Soren say. But I couldn't move. I've seen dead bodies before but this was horrific there were so many in one place. I could feel my anger rising…the last time that happened I lost control and ended up passing out.

"Forget it, Soren. He's useless." Shinon says loud enough that I could hear. The longer I stood there the angrier I got and I could feel the wind picking up.

I don't know how long I was standing there; it felt like ages and all I could think of was how I was going to make the Daeins pay for this.

"How did things look over there, Soren?" I hear Ike say snapping me out of my trance; although it did nothing to quell my anger.

"Same as here. There are corpses strewn everywhere. There are quite a lot of them, especially when you consider how far we are from the capital." Soren explained.

"Are they Crimean?" Titania asks walking up to Ike and Soren.

"…Judging by the armor, the vast majority of the dead are Daein soldiers." Rhys said.

"Does that mean Crimea has turned the tides of war?" I ask.

"Just the opposite, I think. The Crimean soldiers were members of the Imperial Guard. That means King Ramon-or another member of the royal family-was on the move when Daein soldiers fell on them." Soren said. Which member could have been on the move?

"Could it have been Lord Renning?" Titania asks.

"No. As long as the Crimean army still draws breath, Lord Renning will not leave their command. Perhaps another member of the court…" Soren begins to say more until Gatrie comes running up to us.

"We've got Daein soldiers moving in on our location! And they don't look happy!" Gatrie says out of breath. Just then a knight clad in pitch black armor along with several other soldiers came down the path towards us.

Gatrie was right he did not look happy; and he was definitely on a mission.

"You there! Who are you? What are you doing here?" The enemy soldier asks.

"Should we answer him? Or should we leave and go back to the fort?" I ask the others.

"Yeah you would want to leave…coward." Shinon says.

"Why you-" I begin to say.

"Enough!" Titania tells us then turns to face the enemy. "we're no one you need-"

"You're armed! Heed me! Drop your weapons and surrender! Act quickly, or else!" He commands.

"Listen to me, fool. You're making a mistake. We're not…" Shinon tries to explain. I wish he could just shut his mouth.

"Ah, not going to cooperate, eh? Ready your weapons, men! Move in and kill them all!" Their leader yells.

"Tsk! Headstrong fools!" Titania says.

"Getting caught up in some skirmish is not part of the plan…" Soren says.

"But they're obviously not going to listen to us. Greil Mercenaries! Get ready to fight!" Ike yells. I left my tome at my side. I was too angry to care if I used my magic or not. I just wanted vengeance on the enemy.

"All right, Ike. Let's see how you handle the role of captain. Well? What are your orders, boy? We'll do what you say, so long as you hurry up and spit it out!" Shinon says criticizing Ike some more. Why does he insist on putting this much pressure on Ike all at once? It's his first time; give him a break.

"I know, I know! I'm thinking! Give me a minute, will you, Shinon?" Ike says trying to think up a strategy before the fighting begins.

"Bah. Useless! We'd be better led with Mist than this soft, untested whelp." Shinon grumbles.

"He's doing the best he can Shinon, so shut up!" I say angrily. Why can't he just keep his thoughts to himself?

"Let's see… we're in the middle of the road, and there's not much cover. Rhys is the most vulnerable. And Soren and Hawk are our mages. So we should protect them from enemy attacks as best as possible…right?" Ike asks. Sounds like a good strategy…except I don't plan on staying behind the defenses.

"That's a sound strategy, Ike. I can attack from behind your defenses. Good thinking." Soren says encouraging Ike's plan.

"Do you mean that? Um…all right! Let's do that then. Every one form up mages in the back along with Rhys; Shinon you as well." Ike ordered.

The fighting began and I began to move forward…until someone grabbed me.

"Let go of me." I say pulling away and turning around. Soren?

"What do you think you're doing?" He asks in a somewhat angry tone. "If you go out there you are going to put yourself-and anyone who tries to help you-in danger. Is that what you want?"

"Well…No but-" I begin to say.

"But nothing, I know you're angry I am too…but, if you can't keep your emotions in check you are going to jeopardize the entire mission…and our allies." Soren says.

"I can't help it. I'm furious at what has happened. I just want to avenge the fallen." I say in a sad tone. Who wouldn't be angry? I just saw so many soldiers dead with no survivors. I feel the pain and sorrow that all the families will feel knowing that one of their own has fallen.

"Your first priority should be to complete the mission and protect our allies. If you can't keep your emotions in check then go back to the fort because you'll only get in the way." Soren says. Kind of harsh, but he's right. I need to complete this mission first.

"Hey! If you two morons are done the next wave is heading this way and we could use some magic." Shinon says loosing another arrow at the enemy.

As another wave came running towards us I figured I would try something. I began chanting like I would for other spells but at the same time I focused on the emotions I was feeling to see if that affected what spell I used. To my surprise it worked a blast of wind came forth and knocked back some of the enemies.

"All right! It worked!" I say excited that my idea worked. I tried again but this time I focused on the anger instead of the sorrow and a bolt of lightning struck most of the enemies I had knocked over. "I think I got the hang of this now." I say to no one in particular.

"Don't wear yourself out rookie. I don't want to have to protect your unconscious body again." I hear Shinon say. Was that an insult or some friendly advice?

I began using my tome to conserve energy and I also noticed that Ike and Titania had begun the final push. While Gatrie, Shinon, Soren, and I held off the mere foot soldiers, they went after the enemy commander. With those two working together the enemy commander didn't last long and the battle was won.

When we got to Titania and Ike the enemy commander was taking his last few breaths and I heard him say "Wretched curs…you will regret your decision to oppose Daein…" with his last breath the commander fell.

"Did we suffer any casualties?" Ike asks.

"I'm fine. I think we all are." I say looking around at the new bodies now filling the road. I don't know if I will ever get used to killing, but I am responsible for some of it, and that I will have to deal with.

"Any wounded or dead? No? Excellent! Well done!" Titania says. Except I think this one battle has just placed us against the Daein army as well.

"I don't know…taking out these Daein soldiers may have been a bad move." Gatrie says as we begin getting ready to leave.

"Shinon! What the hell are you doing?" I ask angrily.

"This swine's got some nice weapons. Besides, he ain't gonna complain. He won't need them where he's going." He says with a smile on his face that almost made me want to kill him.

"Shinon!" Ike says trying to order him to stop.

"Get ahold of yourself! We can't afford such behavior right now. Steal from the dead on your own time." Soren says. At least I'm not the only one that wants to kill him.

"What? You judgmental little-" Shinon says angrily.

"Soren! Shinon! Stop this at once! This is no place for us to be bickering amongst ourselves!" Titania ordered. Why is it that everyone only listens to the commander and Titania?

"Let's clear out of here. We have to tell the commander what happened." Ike says.

"Let's take this road. We should be able to cut through the forest and…Huh?" Soren stops midsentence. I think I know why; did I hear something as well?

"Something wrong?" Ike asks.

"No, as I said this road…"

"Wait! Ike, I just saw something move on the far side of that thicket!" Rhys says with a bit of fear. Could an enemy soldier have survived?

"A wounded soldier, perhaps? Let's go have a look. Careful, now." Ike says as we move through the thicket after Rhys.

"Oh, no…" Rhys says with horror in his voice.

"Did you find anything, Rhys?" Ike asks.

"…It's a woman…" Rhys says. And a woman it was. She was wearing an orange dress with long green hair. Was she dead?

"Leave her. We shouldn't get involved in matters that don't concern us." Soren says. And I thought Shinon was heartless. Who am I kidding he'd probably steal everything she had then leave. The bastard.

"Oooh…" The woman groans. Thank goodness she is still alive.

"Thank goodness…it looks as if she's merely fainted." Rhys says.

"What if those Daein soldiers were after her for some reason? Even if they weren't we should take her with us." I say. I wasn't going to let some woman just be left here in the woods alone.

"Right. We'd better take her with us for now and make sure she's all right. Give me a hand, will you, Rhys?" Ike asks.

"Of course."

"…I don't like this…" Soren exclaims as Ike carries her on his back.

"What's the worst that could happen Soren? It's not like she's someone important. Probably just a maid." I say with a small laugh. Although I had a feeling that she wasn't just some maid.

By the time we got back to the fort the sun had already set and we took the mysterious maid girl to a room so she could rest. In the meantime Mist cooked us all dinner and we conversed about the events that occurred on Capital Way. Although to my surprise I wasn't the first person to leave…Mist was. I just figured that she went to check on the guest we had brought back.

"Hawk." I hear Soren say.

"What? Sorry I wasn't paying attention." I say. I really have to work on that.

"Good job today." Soren says in a uncaring tone.

"Uh…thanks?" I say not knowing what to think.

"Yeah…at least you didn't pass out on us." Shinon says.

"Shut up." I say as the anger in me begins to rise and I debate plotting his murder. "Anyways, where did Ike go?" I ask looking for a reason to leave.

"I believe he went somewhere with Commander Greil." Titania says.

"Ok, then I'm going to go look for him." I say leaving.

I wasn't walking around long when I bumped into Mist again…literally.

"Ow. Not again, I'm sorry Mist." I say apologetically.

"That's ok I shouldn't have been running. But, at the same time I have to find Ike and Father." Mist says. She sounds like it's an emergency.

"We have got to stop meeting like this." I say with a laugh. I kind of figured she would also laugh so I got concerned. "Is something wrong?" I ask.

"No, Not really. But the lady you guys rescued has awoken!" Mist says standing up and leaving.

"Well that's important." I say standing up and running after Mist.

It didn't take long to find them following Mist, but then again she knows where she is going.

"Father! Brother! It's that lady Ike rescued…She's awake!" Mist says.

"Really?" Ike says.

"Come on. Let's go greet our guest." Greil says as they leave. I was curious to know more about her so I decided to tag along whether I was supposed to or not.

We got to her room and sure enough there she was standing there looking out the window.

"So, how are you feeling?" Greil asks as we walk into the room.

"Oh, I…I'm fine…and you are?" She asks confused. Probably because she doesn't know anyone here.

"The name's Greil. I'm the commander of this mercenary company." Greil says.

"My lord Greil…you are the one who came to my aid, are you not? I don't know how to thank you…" She says.

"Hold on. The one who found you and brought you here was my son Ike and the others that were on the mission with him." Greil tells her rejecting her thanks.

"No, please, that's not-" Ike begins to say. Such a humble fellow. I can't imagine him as a politician. He would have to act…not like Ike.

"Lord…Ike was it? You have my gratitude." She says. What the hell is her name? Should I ask? I don't know, I'm kind of enjoying just sitting here listening. It's slightly amusing.

"Oh…" Ike says. He really hates compliments doesn't he.

"If I may ask, why were you there?" I ask.

"…"

"Pardon Hawk's bluntness…and mine." Greil says giving me a glare that made me want to leave. "But I have some questions for you. Tell me, who are you? What were you doing in that place?"

"The place we found you was the site of a fierce battle between Crimean and Daein forces." Ike says to her. This is beginning to feel like an interrogation.

"Do you have some relation to the Crimean royal family?" Greil asks.

"…" She stays silent.

"I make no promises, but we may be able to help you. Will you share your story with us?" Ike asks.

"You took me in and cared for me. I will…place my trust in you. My name is Elincia Ridell Crimea. I am the daughter of King Ramon of Crimea." Elincia says.

"Wait you mean…You're not a maid!" I ask surprised. There go my first thoughts…my guts were right again.

"What?" Elincia asks more confused and surprised than I was.

"You say you are the princess of Crimea?" Greil asks

"Yes."

"That's an odd claim to make. I've never heard of King Crimea having any children." Greil says. Can we trust her? What if she's a spy for Daein?

"That is…to be expected. My heritage, my very existence, has never been made public."

"Why's that?" Ike asks.

"To avoid national turmoil. You see, I was born after my uncle, Lord Renning, was named successor to the throne. So…"

"They kept you a secret to avert a possible blood feud. Yes, I'm willing to accept that for the time being. Very well, let's suppose that you truly are Princess Crimea. You must know what's become of the king and your uncle. I would like to hear that news." Greil says. He sounds worried for the king's well-being.

"…My father and my mother are dead…They fell at the hand of Ashnard, King of Daein…My lord uncle and the royal knights are still battling the Daein army, I believe." Elincia says. Why does she seem so sad? Well, I suppose losing your parents could have that effect.

"I see." Greil says. I'm curious on the commander's relationship to the king.

"...I…fled the castle…to follow my lord uncle's orders and seek refuge in the kingdom of Gallia." Elincia says. Gallia? Why does that name seem familiar? Where have I heard it before?

"Uh where's Gallia?" I ask. I need to know more about it…is that where I came from?

"It's the nation bordering Crimea to the West." Greil says. Figures…where did I come from?

"We believed that King Caineghis would grant me sanctuary. So that's where I was going…But we were discovered by Daein troops, and I lost my escort of knights…My life-the life I have now-was purchased…with the blood of those brave knights…" Elincia says to us as the conversation lengthened. Turns out the royals of each nation know of her existence so I guess that means that if she truly is the princess then Daein will be coming to get rid of her.

"Everyone is excused while we discuss this further…in private." Greil says.

Not knowing what to do while waiting we decided to inform Titania on what was just discussed.

"Titania, we just spoke with the woman we rescued earlier. Turns out, she's Princess Crimea." Ike says as we walk into another room.

"Princess Crimea? Truly?" Titania says surprised. Guess Elincia was right very few people actually know who she is.

"Father spoke to her as if he believed she were telling the truth." Ike says.

"I see…"

"You ok Titania?" I ask hoping I'm not prying into something I shouldn't.

"Mm, it's nothing. I was just remembering something from the past." She says. She doesn't seem to be paying much attention…I wonder what she's thinking about.

"From the past? Back when you were still a Crimean Royal Knight?" Ike asks. Titania was a royal knight? No wonder she's such a skilled fighter.

"What? How do you know about that?" Tania asks angrily.

"A long time ago, I overheard Shinon and some others talking about it." Ike says. Yes! I hope she punishes Shinon for it.

"They keep such loose tongues."

"Was it a secret?" Ike asks her.

"No it wasn't, but…much like I have more experience than you, I also have many more things to worry about." Titania says. I wonder what she worries about, other than whoever is on her team during missions.

"So you are worried about the princess then?" I ask.

"Well…yes. I myself was unaware of the princess' existence, but…now that I think about it, she does bear a striking resemblance to both the king and queen." Titania says. I hear someone running down a hall. Who could it be?

"So she probably is the true princess. I wonder what Father will do. Will he take on her request?" Ike asks as someone bursts through the door.

"We've got trouble! Outside! There are soldiers! A lot of them!" Rolf says in between heavy breaths.

"What?" Ike says with an urgent and surprised tone.

"We have to find the Commander!" Titania says running out of the room.

"Hawk, follow Titania; I am going to gather the others." Ike says running out of the room to find the other mercenaries.

I wasn't sure where Titania was so I decided to just go back to where we had the meeting with Elincia. Luckily, I was able to find my way there and find Commander Greil with Titania at the same time.

"Gather the others at once." Greil ordered.

"Ike's already on that sir. After Titania left to find you he went to find the others." I say waiting for Ike to appear with the other mercenaries.

"All right. I'll go see what they want." Greil says leaving before anyone can try to stop him.

A few moments later the rest of them walked in with weapons. I guess they're ready to fight if necessary. Next thing I know Greil gets back and begins speaking.

"Is everyone here?" He asks.

"Yes. They all arrived shortly after you left." Titania says.

"Commander, what are the Daein dogs saying?" Shinon asks. Does he have anything nice to say about anyone?

"'Turn over Princess Crimea and leave the area immediately. Comply now, or we will attack.' Pretty straightforward." Greil says.

"Can we trust them not to attack if we do hand her over?" Seems like we could be a problem for them if they don't attack anyways." I say hoping that I'm not overstepping my bounds.

"What are we going to do Commander?" Gatrie asks.

"That's what we're here to decide. One thing has been made clear by the arrival of our friends outside." Greil asks.

"So, I would say this confirms her identity as Princess Crimea, wouldn't you?" Soren says.

"Yes, but what do we do now? I'd like to hear the opinion of everyone here. Titania, I'd like to hear from you first." Greil says.

"The blame for the war rests on Daein. If we ally ourselves with them, the company's reputation will surely suffer. Conversely, if we deliver Princess Crimea safely, our stock will rise in the eyes of our primary employers. Our road is clear." Titania says. I think that I agree the choice is easy…

"Soren, how about you?" Greil says.

"There's nothing to think about. We must deliver the princess to Daein immediately." Soren says. Really? I kind of figured everyone would agree that we should help the princess.

"Even if Crimea is in the right?"

"We are mercenaries. Our actions are dictated only by self-interest. If we want to ensure our future, we need Daein in our debt. They will win this war, after all, and nothing else serves us better." Soren finishes.

"What if they decide to kill us even though we turn the princess over? Then what? We did exactly what they wanted and they owe us nothing." I say trying to change Soren's mind.

"Shinon? Gatrie?"

"Soren's a pompous, superior whelp, but he's got the right idea. Besides, the destination's Gallia, so it's a moot question. I don't care how much we get paid; there's no way under the sun I'm going to stinking beast country." Shinon says. Just as mean as ever.

"Beast country?" I say. What does he mean beast?

"Yeah beasts. They look almost like people but the sub-humans transform into these beasts that are powerful." Shinon says. Sub-human? Guess I will have to look into that later.

"Princess Elincia…she does possess a certain regal beauty…there's a lot to be said for that, you know. However, I do prefer country girls…a bit cuter, and not quite so standoffish…oh! Forget I just said that. Whatever you decide is good for me, Commander. Yep, uh-huh, yep…" Gatrie says. He definitely did not want to say part of that.

"Oscar, Boyd, what about the two of you?" Greil asks.

"I agree with Captain Titania. If we turn the princess over to the Daein army, we're essentially giving them permission to kill her." Oscar says. I agree with Oscar we can't let that happen. I don't know why but I feel like I have to help her to find out where I'm from.

"I'm in favor of helping her. That's what heroes are supposed to do." Boyd says. Yeah you're a hero alright, Boyd.

"Well, Rhys? What's your opinion?" Greil asks.

"I believe…that none of this hinges on whether she's a princess or not. Refusing to aid someone in need is not something we should ever do. That's what I think." I also agree with Ike.

"That's right! Let's help her!" Rolf says determined to make his point heard whether he was asked or not.

"Please We have to help her!" Mist says. She sounds a little worried.

"Hawk? What do you think?" Greil asks.

"I agree with Rhys. It doesn't matter who she is. We have to help Elincia."

"And what about you, Ike?" Greil asks.

"I agree with Titania. I say we help her and take her to Gallia." Ike says.

"I see. I think I know where you all stand…well then, here's my decision. We escort the princess to Gallia." Greil says. Is it just me or did it get oddly quiet outside?

"…Are you sure it's for the best, Father?" Ike asks.

"Yes. Besides, I think the choice has been taken out of our hands."

"What?" Ike asks.

"Open your ears and listen. Listen! All of you." Greil orders.

"Huh? …What is it?" Boyd asks.

"There's no sound coming from outside. They're preparing to attack." I say.

"Not only are the animals quiet, but the bugs are silent, too. And that is unnatural beyond belief. Which means…" Oscar states. And he's right. We are going to be attacked.

"We're surrounded. The soldiers aren't waiting for an answer. They already decided to attack." Ike says grabbing a sword from Oscar.

"It would appear they had no intention of keeping their side of the proposed bargain." Titania says.

"I figured it would come to this." I say grabbing my tome.

"They were planning on lulling us into a false sense of security and destroying every one of us." Soren says.

"Probably so. But the deal is, we're not so naïve or inexperienced as to fall for their trap. Everyone, take your positions! We're going to settle this right now!" Greil says.

* * *

I would like to thank StrifeOkami for helping me with this chapter.

If you like Mass Effect check out his story Vanguard,

and Gray Spectre Warden Boom's story : Odyssey 2183

and if you like assassin's creed check out Flurry of Strife's story:Creedless.

I would also like to thank the people who have left reviews of my story. i thank you for the help it has given.


	6. Fight or Flight

Ch. 6

Fight or Flight

"All right, men. Here's the plan. I'll go and hold the rear entrance. Ike! You're in command here! Don't let the enemy take the front." Greil says as we get ready to fight the group of soldiers that have our fort surrounded.

"…Got it! Be careful, Commander!" Ike says as the rest of us leave to take positions out front.

I have to admit seeing how many people were out front I wasn't sure if we'd be able to survive the night. I hope that we'll be ok; although with Titania with us I think we'll be ok…I wonder if I could ask Soren to train me and make me a better mage? If we survive I think I might ask him.

"All right, guys! We have to stop them from entering the fort. We will split up into groups and divide their forces. Gatrie, Oscar, Boyd and Soren. You guys head to the right and keep them from entering this courtyard."

"We'll do our best, Ike." Oscar says as they head off to stop the enemy advance.

"Rhys you stay here and get ready to help anyone who gets injured. The rest of us will head straight and defeat the enemy commander." Ike says readying his sword. "Shinon, if anyone gets past us I want you to stop them."

"Pah, just don't mess things up and get yourself killed boy." Shinon says.

We began moving towards the enemy commander. Unfortunately, most of the force was that way so we knew it would take us a while to get there. Ike and Titania held off most of them fighting multiple enemies while I attacked from a distance using my various spells. Luckily for me whenever one got past me Shinon would get them so I just focused on the enemies in front of me.

"Hawk! Titania's moving ahead. We're going to have more enemies to face so get ready!" Ike yells as the fighting continues.

"Yes, sir!" I yell casting Wind on a group of soldiers that got through. I had a good strategy. Knock them over with Wind then cast either Fire or Thunder before they had a chance to get up.

I don't know how long Ike will be able to hold out though. He's a skilled fighter, but I don't know how long he can hold out against all of those soldiers.

"Shinon! Send Oscar to aid Ike!" I yell back as I see Ike getting surrounded. I'd be of more help but there's just so many. If Ike doesn't get some more help soon; then he could be in trouble. Please hurry Titania.

"What makes you think I can't help him?" Shinon yells.

"Because you're not a close range fighter now hurry!" I yell back casting Wind as much and as fast as I could to help Ike. But, it seemed no matter how much I was casting they had more and more soldiers, all ready to take the place of the last one. Next thing I know I see Oscar riding by to help Ike; which was a relief to me as well because I was getting tired from casting Wind so much.

I looked out towards the Daein commander, and Titania had just reached him. They began fighting and they seemed to be a good match up. I got distracted watching the two fight each other, until an arrow hit my arm.

All I could do at that point was scream out in pain. I thought for sure that another arrow was going to hit me in my chest, but no arrow came. I didn't even see who had shot the arrow until I saw another arrow fly and hit the archer that got me.

"Are you ok, Hawk? Here stay still; I'll heal your wound." Rhys says running over to me and healing me. I almost forgot that Rhys was here. We hardly ever get injured so he doesn't usually have to heal us.

"Thanks, guess I wasn't paying attention." I say.

"No problem, I'm here to help." Rhys says.

I stood back up and began casting Thunder again. With Oscar helping Ike it was much easier to help as Titania continued to battle the enemy general. If it wasn't for all of those other soldiers the battle could have been won by now.

It seemed like forever but eventually Ike, Oscar, and I began moving forward towards the enemy general, giving Titania some backup against the soldiers while she fought the general.

Once we got close enough, to better help Titania, we finally saw the end of the enemy general. Titania struck down the enemy commander and the fighting just stopped.

Shocked that their commander had been defeated, most of the soldiers began to flee. "General Dakova's gone…we're being beaten…we…we don't stand a chance. Retreat! Quickly now, retreat!" An enemy soldier says running away. The rest of the remaining soldiers join him as they run away. Once we thought they were all gone we went back to the entrance of the fort.

"I want everyone to check the surrounding area. Make sure that they retreated; and do not go alone go in groups of two. Shinon and Gatrie check to the West. Oscar, Boyd Check to the South. Titania and Soren check to the East; Hawk, go check on the commander."

"Understood." I say leaving to find Commander Greil. I didn't search long; it seems Commander Greil was on his way to check on us.

"Commander! We have taken out the enemy commander and are currently checking the surrounding area for other soldiers." I say as we walk back towards Ike.

"Well done." Greil says as we walk outside.

"We've cleared the surrounding area of Daein troops, Ike." Soren says walking back with Titania.

"Alright. Father, We're enemies of the Daein kingdom now aren't we?" Ike asks.

"Yes, we've no time for rest! Everyone, pack your things now! We leave at once, before the enemy brings reinforcements!" Greil says. I'm all set…I'll go help someone else.

"Understood! Boyd! Come with me." Oscar says to his brother as they leave to pack their things.

"Right behind you, brother!"

"Rolf! Let's go pack as much food and supplies as we can!" Mist says.

"Uh, whatever you say! Let's go, Mist!" Rolf says as they leave to go pack.

"Titania! Take Shinon and Gatrie and make sure that we have a secure road from here to the forest. We'll make our way to Gallia through the sea of trees." Greil orders.

"On my way, sir!" Titania says riding out to secure the road.

"Rhys, you stay with me. I want you to help me pull essential documents from the library. Everything else we burn." Greil says as he begins heading back into the fort.

"Y-Yes, sir!" Rhys says following the commander into the fort.

"Princess Elincia! I'm going to ready a horse for you. What should we have you do…I know-go to the mess hall." Ike says. What should I do?

"I'm sorry?" Elincia says confused.

"Time will go by faster if you're helping Mist than it will if you're just sitting around waiting for me. Hawk! Show the princess to the mess hall and help them out as well." Ike says heading to the stables to get a horse.

"Oh, I understand. I can do that!" Elincia says with a mix of excitement and worry in her voice.

"Understood, Ike. Let's go princess." I say as we head back into the fort to help Mist.

We walked through the halls of the fort in silence. I mean what was I supposed to say to a princess who was being hunted? Once we reached the mess hall I looked around for Mist.

"Hey, Mist. Ike sent us here to help pack food and supplies." I say as I look around for some food that looked like it hadn't been packed yet.

"Oh…ok!" Mist says with a smile. "Uh…here you can help us pack these supplies princess." Mist says handing Elincia an empty box.

"Ok. I'll do that then." Elincia says grabbing some supplies and putting them in the box. I didn't know what to do so for the most part I just stood around trying not to be in the way.

"Sorry, this is kind of awkward. Making a princess help with packing…" Mist says breaking the silence. I didn't know what else to do so I just watched and listened to their conversation.

"Please don't worry, Mist. I just hope I don't end up slowing you down by getting in your way." Elincia says with a bit of sadness in her voice. Why does she think she'd get in the way?

"Don't be silly! You're so much better at this than I am. It's a big help! Are all princesses as good at this sort of thing as you are?" Mist asks. That is a good question…are all princesses taught how to do meaningless labor? Probably not but I wouldn't know.

"Well, I wasn't raised at court, so my life was a bit different than other princesses. I cooked, cleaned, sewed… Why, I did all manner of things." Really? She seems so…I don't know.

"Really? That's surprising. I would never have guessed that by looking at you." Mist says while she continues to pack. I wonder if I should try and join the conversation.

"Let's see, I also rode horses, practiced sword fighting…ah, Mist. What's that around your neck?" Elincia asks.

"What? Oh, ah…"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"…I guess I can show it to you, Princess Elincia." Mist says holding a medallion in her hands. I never noticed but Mist is wearing some sort of medallion; it's beautiful. I can't seem to look away though. What is that light? And what is this feeling I'm getting. It's dark and it feels… unsettling…I don't like it.

"It's beautiful, Mist. Although the light is, well, also beautiful. I wonder what it is." I say trying to look away. What is this feeling I'm getting from it? Why did I never notice it before?

"It used to belong to my mother. It's all I have to remember her by. Hmm… I don't know where the light comes from. It didn't used to be like that. A while back, it just started glowing." Mist says. Strange, I wonder what could be the cause of its sudden glow?

"The world is full of mysteries, isn't it? One thing is clear, though…it certainly is beautiful." Elincia says as Mist puts the medallion away.

"I wonder what that light means…" Mist says as if lost in her own thoughts.

It wasn't too long after, that we had completed the packing and moved everything from the mess hall to the horses. Commander Greil ordered us all to move out and we began heading towards the sea of trees…

It was still dark out so after a while Greil stopped and turned to face the Company. "All right. We shall rest here for a while." Greil says as the company stops.

"I'll go get some firewood. Oscar, come with me." Titania says.

"Yes, Captain." Oscar says following Titania into the nearby trees. As for me since no one was doing anything but sitting around the fire, I quietly slipped away to find a nice quiet tree. Luckily, being in the forest there were plenty of trees. I found one with a branch able to support me and I began looking at the stars like I did every night.

"Hawk? Where are you?" Mist was calling. Why is she looking for me? Is every one worried because I left?

"I'm up here, Mist." I say as I jump down from the tree branch. "Is something wrong? Were people worried because I went missing?" I ask trying to find out why she sounded so worried.

"No, nothing like that. I…never mind." Mist says. Ok now I am curious.

"It's fine…what did you want to ask?" I say. I think she deserves some answers to her questions. I just hope I can answer them.

"I wanted to know if…if you remembered anything from your past?" Mist says. I can see why she was hesitant to ask. Probably doesn't want to anger me.

"Well to be honest I'm not sure. I've had some vivid dreams but, without actually knowing my past I don't know if they are real or just dreams." I say. I wish I knew myself.

"Oh… do you want to talk about them?" Mist asks.

"They would be kind of hard to explain." I say. How can I explain to her that I had a dream of being a prisoner in some tower, prison place.

"If you don't mind my asking…do you remember anything about your Mother?" I ask. That's probably too personal.

"Not really. I was really young when she died." Mist says looking down.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know.

"It's ok." Mist says trying to force a smile.

Have you always been a mercenary with your brother and father?" I ask. I don't know why but it seems like a good question to ask.

"As long as I can remember I have been traveling with Ike and my Father. Your turn, have you always been able to use magic without the use of tomes?" Mist asks with a small smile.

"I see. Since you asked first; in one of my dreams I was in some sort of dungeon. I heard footsteps coming and all I could really think about was escaping. Whether that ever happened or not, I don't know." I say. Mist looks at me kind of surprised, but I think she understands that I really have no idea if they are real memories or just dreams.

"Do you remember where in your dream you were?" Mist asks.

"Just a dungeon; most likely in Begnion. That is all I know. Sorry." I say.

"That's ok; I'm sure that one day you will know the answer." Mist says.

"I hope so, Mist…you should probably get some sleep while we still have the chance. We'll probably be leaving soon." I say as I get ready to climb back into the tree.

"I thought we could watch the stars together for a little while; like we did back at the fort..." Mist says in a sad tone. I bet she misses the fort. I know I do.

"Oh…sure why not? I don't think a few more minutes would hurt." I say with a smile. I'm happy that she enjoys spending time with me. But, I can't help but wonder why me?

"Do you want to see the stars from the trees?" I ask her. "It's nothing special but it is different."

"How do you plan on getting me up there?" Mist asks.

"Like this." I say as I pick her up. "Hang on."

I jumped off the ground and for a split second I felt like I had wings. We made it to the first branch almost as easily as I did on my own. From there I just made the short hops to the branches that would be able to hold us up. Once we got high enough in the trees to see the stars clearly I set her down next to me and we stared up at the sky.

"Nothing special? It's incredible!" Mist says smiling.

"I'm glad you like it." I say smiling back.

"I've had some time to think…and I agree with you." Mist says.

"What do you mean?" I ask. She has me confused…

"It would be great to fly." Mist says with a smile.

"Oh, yes…it would be great." I say.

I'm not sure how long we sat there but, we didn't talk anymore. Eventually she fell asleep; and for fear of her falling off I carefully picked her up and put her onto my back, and climbed down the tree. When I got back to camp most everyone was asleep, except for Commander Greil and Titania. They saw us coming and they had looks of relief as if they were worried as to where we were. Although, seeing as how Mist is the Commander's daughter I can imagine why.

"We were watching the stars and she ended up falling asleep." I explain to Commander Greil as I set Mist down near the fire so she wouldn't get cold.

"I see…" Commander Greil says. He didn't yell but his look and tone makes me think he's a bit angry.

"Is something wrong, commander?" I ask fearing what the answer may be.

"Do you remember anything at all from your past that could help us find out who you really are?" He asks looking me straight in the eyes. He gets right to the point doesn't he?

"Yes…and no. I've been having these dreams, but I think they are actually memories from either when I was in Begnion or on that island. However, I can't guarantee that so that's why it's a no." I say. "Now that I think about it, the only thing I am sure of is that my first few dreams definitely took place in Begnion." I say thinking back to the first night I had talked to Mist.

"Could you explain these dreams to us, Hawk?" Titania asks.

"…I'm sorry…I can't…not now…not until I know more about them myself." I say apologizing. How could I tell them? What would they think? It's too soon for them to know. But, if that's the case…why did I tell Mist about my first dream?

"Alright then, I have one more question." Greil says. I wonder if he knows something I don't.

"And that would be?"

"What is that mark on the back of your right hand?" Greil asks. What mark? I never had any mark…did I?

"What mark?" I ask looking down at my hand. "Wait… when did…I never noticed it before..."

"So you don't know where you got it or what it is?" Greil asks with curiosity in his voice.

"Sorry, sir…I don't" I say. I wonder if the people who are in my dreams gave it to me… or if I had it when I was on that island…

"…Very well." Greil says with just a bit of disappointment in his voice. "Get some rest, Hawk, we move out at dawn."

"Yes sir." I say finding a spot next to the fire where I could lay down and get some sleep. I almost fell asleep; until I heard a branch from a tree snap. I quickly got up and began heading towards the sound.

"I hope it isn't Daein soldiers" I whisper to myself. Another branch snaps as someone drops from the tree right above me. I jump out of the way, and I almost yelled out in terror. Who is that!

"Ow. Yeah; that hurt." the man says as he looks up at me. "Could it really be you?" He asks with a surprised look about him.

"What? Do you know me?" I ask as I look at him. He's tall and fit, with short red hair, and a sword sheathed at his side. So he's a sword fighter?

"I can't believe I found you." The man says as tears begin to well up in his eyes.

"I thought I'd never find you!" he says tackling me to the ground with a hug.

"Who are you?" I ask as I catch my breath and push him off of me. I think that this guy is insane.

"Y-You mean you don't remember me?" he asks sounding almost heartbroken. "How could you forget me? We are best friends…at least we were…"

"We are? I'm terribly sorry; I don't remember much from before I met these mercenaries. Only what I see in my dreams. I think something happened to me before I woke up in a forest; that caused me to lose my memories." I say regretfully. He seems somewhat familiar but I still don't know him.

"I see…that explains why you don't remember me." he says. He seems to be cheering up knowing that I have memory loss, and not just a bad memory. "Well, my name is Tenebris. And as for your other questions, I know the answers to those too." Tenebris says leaning against a tree.

"How could you know those things?" I ask with curiosity rising.

"You told me everything about you, where you were from, what you are, and what you can do… We knew each other for a few weeks; we told each other all our secrets, and became best friends. When you disappeared I got worried and began to look for you." Tenebris says.

"I see…so I really was held captive in a dungeon. That means that my other dreams must have been true as well." I say.

"I tracked you down to a Begnion prison tower, but by the time I got there you had been moved. I continued to look for you and came across a tower here in Crimea; rumors said that it held all sorts of people…and laguz. I went to check it out, but you had already escaped by the time I got there, and I almost got captured myself; if it wasn't for this sword I took from a guard." Tenebris says.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that just to find me." I say looking down. "I'm not worth the trouble you went through."

"Nonsense, we are best friends. I would do anything to help you." Tenebris says.

"I appreciate that. Uh…do you think you could tell me of my past? Where was I from, what am I, and what it was that made us become friends?" I ask. Maybe this will answer my questions.

We sat down under a tree and Tenebris began telling me of my own past.

"You told me you were born in the kingdom of Phoenicis, but you had to leave because you weren't a laguz, but one of the Branded." Tenebris says.

"One of the Branded? What are the Branded?" I ask confused.

"They are half-breeds. Part laguz, part beorc; that is one of the reasons you and I are friends. We are both branded. However, I'm not part of the bird tribe like you."

"Beorc being…humans?" I ask.

"Yes."

"How can you tell one of the Branded, from a normal human?" I ask. I mean Tenebris claims to be one of the Branded but, he looks like any other human I have seen so far.

"They usually have a mark, like the one on the back of your right hand." Tenebris says.

"How do I know you're one of the Branded? Where is your mark?" I ask suspiciously. How do I know that he is also one of the Branded.

Tenebris turned around, and showed me his neck. Just like the mark on the back of my hand, there was a mark that began to wrap around his neck; almost like hands getting ready to strangle someone.

"Proof enough?" Tenebris asks as he turns around.

"I'm sorry I doubted you." I say apologizing to him. "My dreams are beginning to make much more sense now." I say thinking about my dreams. So that's why they captured me. I am one of the Branded.

"What dreams?" Tenebris asks looking at me confused.

"Well; I guess they were memories that I was getting back…" I say as I begin telling him my dreams. Why am I trusting this guy…I barely know him; unless he is telling the truth.

"I see…so that does go along with me tracking you. Somehow, they must've gotten word that I was looking for you, and moved you to keep us apart." Tenebris says thinking about what I told him.

"But, I still have questions; questions that you can't answer. I do hope that you will stay; there are some people I would like you to meet." I say as I begin to tell him the dreams I had; and of the people I wanted him to meet.

At that moment both of us heard footsteps and we stood up ready to attack. Then I saw two figures running towards us…is that…Oscar, and Boyd?

"Hawk! Get down!" Boyd yells as he jumps. Not knowing what to do, I just ducked and watched as Boyd and Tenebris began fighting.

"Who are you, and what do you want with Hawk!" Boyd yells as he swings his axe at Tenebris' head. Tenebris easily parried the attack and began swinging back. It was almost like watching Ike and Boyd spar…Tenebris was clearly the better fighter. They kept going throwing in a kick here and there. However, neither gained any advantage over the other and they seemed to be at a stalemate.

Oscar didn't join in; which kind of surprised me. I thought he'd be helping his brother by now. At that point Tenebris kicked at Boyd hitting him in his knee and Boyd fell to one knee. I knew if I didn't say something Boyd would be dead shortly.

"Stop!" I yell out as Tenebris stopped the swing of his sword right at Boyd's neck. Oscar, Boyd, and I all heaved a sigh of relief. Tenebris offered a hand to Boyd which got smacked away. Guess Boyd's anger hasn't calmed down; and his pride has definitely been hurt.

"What are you two doing up?" I ask them as Tenebris sheaths his sword.

"Well, the commander heard some tree branches snap, right when you left. He sent us to investigate when you never came back." Oscar says.

"And when we saw this guy standing next to you with a sword; I assumed he had captured you, and was going to kill you." Boyd says looking at Tenebris with anger.

"Well I can assure you that I am not here to hurt my friend." Tenebris says looking back at Boyd with just as much anger.

"You two know each other, Hawk?" Oscar asks confused.

"Yeah, I guess we met in Begnion before I had met you guys. We spent a few weeks together and then I got captured. He has been looking for me ever since." I say as I explain that Tenebris was the one who caused the snapping branches and my delayed return.

"I see, well then, it's nice to meet you." Oscar says shaking Tenebris' hand.

"And to you as well; my name is Tenebris." he says.

"My name is Oscar; the one who attacked you is my brother, Boyd. I'm sorry we misjudged you at first; but, if your comrade looked to be in danger I'm sure you would do the same." Oscar says with a small laugh.

"I'm glad no one got hurt; Tenebris, where did you learn how to fight?" I ask as I realize that Tenebris had as much skill as Ike.

"My teacher taught me for while in Begnion, before I met you. His name was Zelgius; although he had to train me in secret as I was not a member of the Begnion army." Tenebris says.

"Well he was a good teacher but, I'd like to see you beat Ike." Boyd says. I think I would like to see that as well.

"Maybe one day I will." Tenebris says with a smile that says 'bring it on'.

"Well, why don't we all head back to camp? It's Titania's shift to keep watch so we will inform the commander of you in the morning, Tenebris." Oscar says as he walks back towards the camp with Boyd.

"Come on, Tenebris. Let's get some rest. We're leaving at dawn." I say leading Tenebris back to camp.

When we got back to camp we found a spot to sleep and laid down. It didn't take long for either of us to fall asleep, and I just knew that with the arrival of my friend, that I would sleep well.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the introduction of the new character Tenebris. :)...I **MAY** begin updating 2 times a week so be sure to check in.

A big thanks to StrifeOkami for his help on this chapter.

A thank you goes out to all the people who have read and reviewed my stories. I have done my best to improve and I hope you will continue reading.

If you are a fan of this story i urge you to check out Fanning Flames by: ShiverIntheLight...had me amazed and wanting more the whole time.

If you are a fan of Mass Effect i suggest checking out Odyssey 2183 by: Gray Spectre Warden Boom. And Vanguard by: StrifeOkami.

And last but certainly not least if you enjoy Assassin's Creed check out the story Creedless by: Flurry of Strife.

That is the end of my shameless plug-ins...until next week, or later this week...I'm not sure yet.


	7. Diversion

Ch. 7

Diversion

I wake up to someone shaking me. "What? Is it dawn already?" I ask trying to sit up. Did I oversleep? Who was shaking me?

"Yes, it is dawn. They are getting ready to move out soon." Tenebris says.

"Tenebris!" I say surprised, realizing the others may seem him as an enemy.

"Well good morning to you too sleepy head." Tenebris says with a smile.

"I think you should meet my commander; before anyone else thinks you're an intruder." I say thinking about last night. I found the commander talking with Ike; probably discussing today's plans. "Commander, there is someone I want you to meet." I say as we come up on the commander and his son.

"Hm? Who is your friend, Hawk?" Greil asks looking at Tenebris suspiciously. Funny how he calls Tenebris my friend, considering we are friends.

"My name is Tenebris; I am a friend of Hawk's from Begnion. He went missing and I have been tracking him ever since trying to find him." Tenebris begins telling the commander about how I met Tenebris and how he has been following me ever since.

"I see…can you tell us anything else about our friend, Hawk?" Greil asks. I want him to, and yet I don't…I would rather tell them myself…but…I don't know if I can trust them to treat me the same.

"…I can't… Hawk had asked me never to tell anyone else without his permission. I would like to keep that promise for my friend." Tenebris says. At least he's a loyal friend.

"I understand. We are currently being pursued by the Daein army; I will talk it over with the company. If they wish to have you stay you can do as you will." Greil says.

"Thank you, sir." Tenebris says.

"But, Commander…shouldn't it only matter if I want him here?" I ask. It doesn't matter to me whether or not they really like him; he is my friend.

"Normally, yes; but this is my company and if my crew thinks that he will endanger the rest of us, then I'm afraid I can't allow him to stay." Greil says.

"I see…understood, Commander." I say leaving with Tenebris.

"I will wait here until the meeting is over." Tenebris says once we have left the camp.

"Got it; I'll be back with the Commander's decision." I say leaving to go find Commander Greil.

I found the Commander with the others; although it appears he already started. "Sorry I'm late Commander." I say as I run up to the group.

"No worries, I just finished filling them in on what Tenebris had told me." he says motioning me to sit in the circle with them. "So now we decide; does Tenebris stay or does he leave? Titania I want your opinion first."

"I don't see the harm in allowing him to join. He could prove to be a skilled fighter; and at the very least maybe Hawk having a friend from his past could prove to be beneficial." Titania says looking at me.

"Soren, what do you think?" Greil asks.

"I agree with Titania; it would probably do no harm. But, without knowing more about him I would suggest caution around him." Soren says looking at me as if my wanting him to stay is a mistake. It's hard to gain his trust isn't it?

"Shinon?"

"I don't like him. He has a look about him that tells me he's up to no good. My suggestion would be to leave him here to distract the Daein dogs." Shinon says. That made my anger boil.

"That's my friend you're talking about you-" I begin to yell.

"Stop!" Greil ordered before I could finish. "Gatrie what do you think?"

I began to yell…I wonder how Tenebris thinks this is going.

"I'm sorry, Hawk, but I have to agree with Shinon. We just don't know enough about him to trust him." Gatrie says.

"Oscar, Boyd?"

"I agree with Titania, sir. I trust Hawk, and therefore if Hawk trusts Tenebris then I shall trust him as well." Oscar says. I'm glad he trusts me enough to want my friend too.

"Hawk is our comrade; so in a way Tenebris is already our comrade, whether he's a part of the Greil Mercenaries or not. Besides if he joins I can personally teach him the ropes, like I did for Ike and Hawk." Boyd says with a chuckle. He really likes to brag doesn't he; even though just last night he lost to Tenebris in a fight.

"Rhys? Rolf?"

"I agree with Titania; if nothing else at least for Hawk's sake. We can all use a friend to lean on once in a while." Rhys says looking at me with a slight smile to show his support.

"I agree with Rhys, Commander. Hawk should be allowed to have his friend join our company."

"Mist; what do you think?" Greil asks looking at Mist.

"I never thought I would say this but, I agree with Boyd. Hawk is my friend which means that Tenebris is my friend even though I don't really know him." Mist says confidently.

"Ike?"

"I don't know if we can trust him or not, but I trust Hawk's judgment." Ike says. It would appear that I have gained the trust of most of the company. I must be doing something right.

"Very well…Hawk, your friend can stay. Now we have to get moving before the Daein soldiers catch up; so let's pack up and move out!" Greil orders.

We began moving through the trees to reach Gallia. I wonder how long it will be before we reach Gallia. We were walking for hours non-stop and the longer we walked the hotter it got.

"Blazes, why does it have to be so blamed humid? If we weren't being chased, I'd strip off this armor here and now!" Gatrie complains as we continue to move through the forest.

"Please don't." I say begging him not to. No one wants to see Gatrie strip.

"Then I'm almost glad that we ARE being pursued. I suppose you will have to grin and bear it, won't you?" Titania says.

"Hm, I suppose I will." Gatrie says with a sigh. Never thought I would think this but, thank you Daein.

"Right. So enough of your griping. You're merely wasting energy. Still, this heat is appalling." Titania says.

"Dense forests such as these are not made for us delicate humans. The sub-humans love 'em, though." Shinon says. I don't know why but that term 'sub-human' bothers me. Then again I don't really like Shinon so I'm sure it's not just the term.

"These…sub-humans…are they really so different from us?" Ike asks. That's a good question…I don't think I've ever seen one.

"What, you mean to tell me you've never seen a beast-man before?" Shinon asks.

"No, never."

"Well, I have. They're a hairy bunch, I'll tell you. And ugly as sin, too. Their faces are all fangs and whisker. Their claws are like daggers, razor sharp and deadly. And even though they can speak our language, they're beasts through and through. Savages, every one." Shinon says. Ok that just sounds degrading.

"Are there more than one type?" Ike asks. Looks like his curiosity of them has him wanting to know more.

"The ones Shinon calls 'sub-humans' can be divided into three groups, each one named for its physical characteristics. First, the beast tribe, next, the bird tribe, and finally, the dragon tribe." Whoa, there are dragons?

"The term sub-human is offensive to any and all laguz. And anyone who calls them sub-human is an enemy of the laguz." Tenebris says with anger in his voice. It seems he doesn't really like Shinon either.

"The laguz tribe residing here in Gallia is the beast tribe, who possess those feline qualities of which Shinon spoke." Soren says.

"To the South are the islands where the bird-men live. The dragons are in Goldoa. It's something every mercenary should know. Looks like you know even less than I gave you credit for, Ike, my boy." Shinon says. That is where I'm from…Phoenicis kingdom of the bird tribe laguz. I should probably tell Commander Greil about my past now that I know.

"Hm…perhaps." Ike says thoughtfully.

We continued walking in silence again, and I was left to my thoughts. Why couldn't I remember anything from before those dreams I had? Could it have been that elixir? Probably not, maybe the hit on the head I got before I woke up in the forest? I wonder if I will ever be able to return to my homeland…

"…A little farther and we will be out of these trees, Ike." Soren says breaking the silence.

"Really? That means Gallia proper! Compared to this forest, even a kingdom of half-breeds will seem like heaven." Shinon says with disgust.

"Is he always like that?" Tenebris whispers to me, as we continue walking.

"Unfortunately." I whisper back.

"Hold it right there, everyone. We're coming up to the edge of the forest. Form up. Combat positions." Greil says readying his axe.

"What's going on?" Tenebris asks as he unsheathes his sword.

"Well, the commander did say that we were being pursued by the Daein army." I say as I grab my tome.

"I don't suppose our Daein pursuers were willing to let us just slip away." Titania says grabbing her axe and mounting her horse.

"There is no doubt that they will attack again. Without knowing their numbers, it is difficult to advise a course of action." Soren says.

"Take your best guess, Soren. With the limited information we have, what is the best way to proceed?" Greil asks our tactician.

"…Some of our group cannot fight. If we are caught, we'll have a difficult time defending them and attacking the Daeins. I propose we separate into two groups: a small fighting force to engage the enemy and buy the main group some time, and the rest of us- who will escort the princess to Gallia at full speed." Soren says. He seems young but, his knowledge of battle plans, and his ability to come up with a good strategy is amazing.

"You want to divide our combat strength? The main force aside, don't you think the risk to the smaller group is too high?" Oscar asks.

"I believe this is the only way to achieve our goal and keep casualties to a minimum. It's possible that there's an ambush waiting for us at the edge of the forest. If we proceed with no plan, we may be caught between the pursuit and the ambush, which would be the end of us all." Soren explains.

"I don't want to admit it, but I think Soren's right, Commander." Tenebris chimes in with a somewhat sad tone.

"Looks like we've no choice but to give it a go. All right, let's split up. The diversionary team will be Gatrie, Shinon, and me. The rest of you guard Princess Elincia and proceed to Gallia straightaway. Got it?" Greil says. His force seems kind of small.

"Are you sure you're taking enough men?" Ike asks the commander.

"Idiot pup. Smaller numbers mean more mobility. Your time would be better spent worrying about yourself than about us." Shinon says. He's almost as cocky as Boyd. I really can't stand that guy, and I don't trust him at all.

"But only three men?" Tenebris asks, looking confused. I wonder if he wants to join the commander and help out.

"Don't worry about them, Tenebris. Besides Titania they are probably the two, most experienced mercenaries under Commander Greil." Oscar says coming up behind us.

"I see…" Tenebris says thoughtfully.

"Listen up! This will probably prove to be the biggest fight this company's faced. Remember-you've got only one life. I don't want any of you dying on me. In times like these, it matters not what our blood ties are. We are family. If you don't want to cause your family any grief, then live! Ike will be commanding the main force. Titania, you're his support. All right, let's move out! See you in Gallia!" Greil says. I'm not sure why but after hearing his speech I feel like I can live through any battle, no matter the numbers against us.

The Commander's team left without another word running out of the forest and distracting some of the Daeins, before retreating to lead some away. We continued to the edge of the forest, when we stopped we had a surprise waiting for us.

"So they're waiting for us after all…" Ike says as we look at the amount of Daein soldiers waiting by the path to Gallia.

"There are more of them than I'd imagined there would be. I thought they would have been more spread out across the forest border…I didn't expect to see so many in one place." Soren says.

"So, do we change battle plans?" I ask. I'm still confident that we will survive, but that looks like a lot of soldiers for use to face.

"If we are defending those of us who can't fight it could prove to be troublesome, to beat all these soldiers." Tenebris says.

"No, we've already split up. It's too late to reconsider now." Soren says.

"Isn't there some way we can at least get the princess, Mist, and Rolf to the far shore safely?" Ike asks Soren, who appeared to be thinking of a new strategy as we spoke.

"There are two bridges…this thicket extends to the edge of the westernmost bridge. If we can use the trees as cover, we might be able to reach the bridge undetected. From there, we can launch a surprise attack." Soren says. I guess I was right…best…tactician…ever.

"We'll be creating a diversion, right?" Ike asks.

"Correct. While we keep the enemy's attention, the princess and the others can cross the bridge to safety." Soren says.

"We've no time for discussion. That's the plan we go with." Ike says as we form up into combat positions. Elincia walks up to us carrying a sheathed sword.

"My lord Ike, I…I will fight with you!" she says as she begins to unsheathe the sword.

"…No, you won't." Ike says taking the sword and scabbard from Elincia.

"My lord?"

"I cannot let you expose yourself to danger of any kind. Everyone here is risking his life to ensure safety. If you understand that, you'll cooperate and do as I ask." Ike says

"I see…I will do my part."

"It's settled then." Titania says as we begin heading towards the western-most bridge.

"Mist! Rolf! Take care of the princess. Do not let yourselves be seen." Ike says handing the sword and scabbard to Rolf.

"Leave it to us, Ike! We'll just pretend it's a game of hide-and-seek. And I never lose at hide-and-seek." Rolf says with a confident smile.

"Be careful out there, everyone. Especially you, Hawk." Mist says teasingly, as they leave. Wait why me? I only got injured once…

"Everyone ready? Let's go!" Ike says running out of the trees to the bridge.

Everyone rushed after Ike to provide back up. Tenebris reached him first and as they began fighting I noticed something; their fighting stances were almost the same…I wonder if Tenebris and Ike know that.

Boyd and I are the next to reach them as they continued fighting the soldiers on the bridge. I cast Thunder on the soldier closest to Tenebris, and watch as the bolt of lightning struck the enemy.

"Hawk, watch out!" I hear Oscar yell. I turn around to see a lance being thrust at me. Before I even had time to react I see another lance protruding from the enemy soldier's gut. "You really need to watch your back too, Hawk. Enemies can, and will take any advantage they can get." Oscar says removing his lance from the enemy.

"Thanks, I will try my best." I say casting Thunder on an enemy that was running towards Soren, who had just emerged from the thicket.

"Yeah, no one wants to explain to Mist why you died." Oscar says with a wink.

"Wait…no we're not…"

"Relax, I was kidding." Oscar says before riding off to aid Soren and Titania at the other end of the bridge.

I ran to Ike, Boyd and Tenebris to help out; casting Thunder as I ran. Before I got there one of the soldiers had gotten past Boyd, and was swinging down his sword on Ike. I was about to shout out until I saw Tenebris block the attack with his sword. I was amazed; most people couldn't block that kind of attack using one arm. Next thing I see is the soldier falling back wards from a punch to his chest. I don't know if the soldier was just knocked out, but he was not moving.

We began moving towards the enemy commander; I decided to stay back and attack any of the enemies that got past Ike, Boyd, or Tenebris.

"Hawk! Have Titania join us up here; we're going to make a path to the enemy commander." Ike yells as he takes down two more enemy soldiers.

"Titania! They need you up front." I yell as I run towards them to provide support. All four of us take out the last few soldiers and begin to run back towards Ike, Boyd, and Tenebris.

"Hawk, when we catch up to them; you and I will take the sides and keep the enemies back using Wind." Soren says.

"Sounds good; while we do that the others can take on the soldiers, to make it easier on whoever engages the enemy commander in combat." I say casting Wind on a group of soldiers that got around Ike. I know where Ike got his training from but…has he met Tenebris before? They have the same stance maybe Commander Greil knows his teacher.

Once we caught up Soren and I split apart, one of us on each side of the group, and began casting Wind to push back the enemy soldiers. Whenever I had the chance I would cast Thunder to help a little more.

I heard the sound of hooves hitting the ground and turned around to see a horseman running at me with a halberd. When I cast Wind to knock it over I was surprised to find that it didn't work…Tenebris ran in front of me and slashed at the horse's legs causing it to fall over onto its rider.

"You ok, Hawk?" Tenebris asks running up to me.

"Yeah…thanks for the help Tenebris." I say as I begin casting Wind on the other enemy soldiers again.

"Anytime; we're best friends after all." Tenebris says running at some soldiers I knocked back.

Soon we finished off the rest of the enemy soldiers…except the commander who was still engaged in combat with Ike.

"Titania! Shouldn't we help Ike?" I ask as we watch Ike fight the enemy.

"He asked us to stay out of this. All we can do is watch." Titania replies with a worried tone in her voice.

All of us watched with excitement and worry as Ike and the enemy commander continued to fight, neither one gaining an advantage over the other; although it was clear that Ike was getting tired. The enemy commander thrust at Ike causing Ike to lose balance and fall over.

As the enemy raised his lance, he stopped. When he coughed up blood we all realized that somehow Tenebris had snuck over to aid Ike. I thought he was right next to me; when did he move?

"Oooh… My life ends here… But…though you flee to Gallia…you will…fall to Daein." The enemy commander says coughing up more blood before taking his last breath.

"Thanks, Tenebris." Ike says standing up and sheathing his sword.

"I figured interfering was better than having our commander be killed in battle." Tenebris says as we begin to head through the gate.

"Well, I say we hurry up and join back up with the princess." I say as I begin picking up the pace.

The walk to meet up was spent in silence so I began thinking. Why do Tenebris and Ike have the same fighting stance? Is it a coincidence, or have they met somewhere before. They don't have the same teacher…could Ike's father have some relation to Tenebris; or his teacher? My thoughts were interrupted as I saw Mist, Rolf, and the princess come into view.

"I don't know how, but we made it…" Ike says as we stop walking and take a quick break.

"Brother!" Mist says running up to Ikea and giving him a hug.

"Mist! Princess, Rolf… Are you all well?" Ike asks.

"Yep! We're fine." Rolf replies with a smile as his brothers pat his head.

"So this is Gallia? I thought it would be…different. But, when the only thing you've heard about it is from Shinon…who knows." I say as I look around.

"This is all due to your efforts. Thank you…" Elincia says happily.

"It's still too early to rest easy. The others haven't rejoined us yet." Soren says. I hope everything is all right.

"We are talking about the commander. I don't think there's anything to worry about." Titania says confidently.

"Father…Shinon…Gatrie…" Ike says in a worried tone.

"One of us should have gone with them. One more person could have been of more help than going with as few as they did." Tenebris says.

"…Princess Elincia, I'm afraid we're going to have to part ways here." Ike says as we all stand up and prepare to move out.

"But what do you mean?" Elincia asks confused.

"We're going back to aid our companions. So I want you to continue with Mist to the royal palace of Gallia." Ike responds.

"What? No, Ike! I'm going to stay with you!" Mist says clinging to her brother, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Listen to me, Mist! We must do it this way so that everyone gets out of here alive!" Ike says.

"Don't worry, Mist. I will be with Ike. Nothing bad will happen." I say with a smile on my face to try and cheer her up.

"Father and I will catch up to you right away! Don't worry. Have Father or I ever broken a promise to you?" Ike asks.

"Well…no. All right, then. We'll go ahead." Mist says wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Thank you, Mist. We'll see you soon." Titania says as everyone grabs their gear.

"All right. Titania…please take care of my brother, and Hawk. Promise?" Mist asks looking at me. Why does she always say me? I'm not some danger magnet…am I? I'm sure she means all of us.

"You have my word on it." Titania says grabbing her axe before looking at me.

"Don't worry, Mist. I'll be back in one piece." I say smiling. I'm more worried about her than I am myself. with no one here to protect them I hope they get there safe

I walked away to help get everything ready for our search; and began thinking to myself, before I was interrupted by Tenebris.

"So, is it like this every day?" He asks with a small laugh.

"No, but ever since we have been aiding the princess it has been…I'm glad you're able to help us." I respond as I turn around.

"Let's get moving!" Ike orders as we all gather. "Where to, Soren?"

"We go east on the road we used before. Let's find the commander before the enemy reinforcements show up." Soren says as we all begin to head back the way we came.

Following Soren's directions we began to head east, hoping to find some sign of the commander's group. I fell behind the group walking slower as I was thinking. Why didn't I ask to stay with Mist? I might not be that great a fighter but I could have protected them until we reached the palace.

"What are you thinking about, Hawk?" Tenebris asks walking slower to keep pace with me.

"Nothing…"

"Come on, I know you better than you think. It's that girl…isn't it?" Tenebris says. How could he know that too!? Does he read minds? Or was it just that obvious?

"N-No, it's not like that. I'm just worried because no one went with them to protect them if necessary." I say trying to deny how I feel about Mist.

"Liar…I see the way you act around her. You even take her to watch the stars like we did back in Begnion. You told me once, that you would only ever do that with the people closest to you." Tenebris says nudging me with his elbow. So at least I know why I felt the need to watch the stars… it was something I did with my best friend.

"It wouldn't work out; I'm not…normal." I say as we continue walking.

"So? I'm not either…it doesn't matter. It only matters how you two feel about each other. Everything else works itself out in the end." Tenebris says as he smacks the back of my head. "I'm pretty sure she feels the same way about you."

"I doubt that. Why would she? She knows nothing about me…if she did…she would treat me the way people like Shinon treat laguz…or worse." I say slightly angry.

"What makes you say that?"

"I wasn't even accepted by my home country. They kicked me out because I was one of the Branded. I'm not human…and I'm not laguz." I say as the rest of the group stops in front of us. I hadn't noticed but the sun had already set.

"Well, I can say the same thing about you. You don't know anything about her so, how do you know she would treat you differently?" Tenebris asks just before walking away, leaving me to my thoughts.

"All right, everyone. We'll make camp here, and then continue the search at first light." Ike says.

Once camp had been set up I walked away from the camp to find a nice spot to watch the stars. I wonder if Mist is watching the stars from the palace. I began to think more about what Tenebris and I had discussed earlier. Perhaps she wouldn't treat me differently. If I tell her though, I would have to tell the commander and others as well. Maybe Tenebris is right, I should trust Mist and the others with my past. If they want me to leave, then so be it. I will tell them once we find the commander and join back up with everyone at the palace.

When I returned to the camp I found everyone else asleep, except for Ike, who was keeping watch. I found a spot next to the fire and fell asleep thinking about how I should tell the mercenaries that I'm half laguz and half human.

* * *

Thanks to StrifeOkami for his help...and a thank you to the people who post reviews.

If you enjoy mass effect i suggest reading Vanguard, by Strife Okami... and Odyssey2183 by Grey Spectre Warden Boom.

If you enjoy assassin's creed i recommend Creedless, by Flurry of Strife.

if you enjoy Fire Emblem, like me, i definitely suggest reading Fanning Flames by ShiverIntheLight

this is the end of shameless plugins...until next week...enjoy


	8. A Warrior Falls

**I do not own the Fire Emblem Characters...except for Hawk, and Tenebris. The rest go to Nintendo...yay!**

**enjoy.**

* * *

Ch. 8

A Warrior Falls

"_Is the second dose ready?" the unknown man asks as he enters my cell._

"_Yes, Master; but, if I may ask, why use a second dose if the first one had no effect?" one of the soldiers asks. As far as I can tell I'm strapped to a table, in a fairly empty dungeon, surrounded by four soldiers, and a man they keep calling Master…he has to have a name though right?_

"_What…What are you doing to…me…" I manage to say trying to stay awake._

"_Oho…he's still awake? Well, my little experiment… you don't need to worry about that." The man says laughing as he brings a vial of that 'elixir' closer._

"_Get..away…" I say as I begin to struggle, and the leader laughs._

"_GET AWAY!" I yell casting Wind and breaking my restraints. The force of my magic, and catching them off-guard, knocks the soldiers, and leader to the floor… I leave as fast as I can trying to find a way out._

"_AFTER HIM! If he escapes, Ashnard will not be pleased!" I hear the leader yell. Ashnard?_

_I found my way outside and began running away, without knowing where I was, or where I was going. For a tower, I somehow escaped rather easily. I better pick up the pace before they catch up._

"_He went this way! Come on, we can't let him escape." A soldier says as I duck behind a tree. How long are they going to pursue me?_

_After a couple minutes the footsteps faded into the dark and I began walking again._

"_I can't believe I escaped that tower. I hope Tenebris is ok; but without knowing where I am, I don't think I'll be able to find him again." I whisper as I continue walking. Next thing I know; I'm falling and everything turns black._

I open my eyes to see Tenebris shaking me. "Hawk! Hawk! Wake up!" he says as he looks worried.

"What? Are we under attack?" I ask trying to shake off the fact that I'm tired.

"No, we are not under attack. You began yelling in your sleep. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah…just another memory." I say laying back down. The sun is beginning to rise…time to get up…wonderful. I feel like I haven't slept at all.

By the looks of things around the camp; I either: woke everyone up, or no one slept very well.

"Want to talk about it?" Tenebris asks.

"Not really, anyways…we should probably help pack up; we will most likely continue our search for the commander soon." I say, standing up.

"All right; well if you change your mind you know that I am here for you… Oh, I wanted to give you this." Tenebris says handing me a sheathed dagger.

"What's this for?" I ask. I mean I use magic…weaponry isn't a strong suit of mine.

"It's the dagger you bought me…I thought you could use it…in case an enemy gets too close for you to use magic in time,

"Oh, thanks, Tenebris." I say as I watch him leave.

We packed up fairly quickly, and began searching for the commander as we continued to travel east. By noon, I was tired and beginning to lose hope in finding the commander. And I think we all knew that if we continued searching, we were more likely to run into Daein soldiers than our commander.

"They're not here either…" Ike says trailing off as we stop to take a short break.

"Ike, pursuing them any farther maybe be dangerous. I think it would be best if we returned to Gallia for now. It's possible the commander may have followed another road into Gallia. It's something we should consider." Soren says. I guess we are all thinking the same thing.

"Ike, there's a fort over there. Just now, for a moment only…I thought I saw someone. Shall we investigate?" Titania asks, somewhat excited.

"What? Really? Yes, let's go take a look." Ike says excitedly. Guess he's worried about his father. The fort wasn't too far away but it seemed so…empty…and definitely looked abandoned.

"This could be a trap, Ike." I say as we walk into a large room inside the fort.

"It seems as though this place has been abandoned for a long time." Soren says looking around. He seems very paranoid. Although, it does feel like something…or someone…is watching us.

"There's no one here…hm. I could've sworn I saw a silhouette, but…I guess it was a trick of the light." Titania says disappointed.

"Let's continue looking. If we don't find anything here, we'll head back to Gallia." Ike says.

"What's the worst that could happen?" I ask as I try and listen for any movement inside the abandoned fort. "I think we should prepare for battle just in case." I say pulling my tome out from under my robe.

"I agree." Titania says as everyone readies their weapons. A couple seconds later, I hear footsteps running towards us. Could it be Commander Greil?

"Here they are! I've found the Crimean mercenaries! Surround them!" The Daein soldier yells as he readies his lance. Wonderful…go from one problem to another.

"Curses! Daein troops!" Ike says as we get into combat formation. "All right, everyone. Hawk, Tenebris, and Boyd you three will come with me. We'll head by the stairs and circle around, hitting the enemy from two sides. The rest of you will head straight and take that side." Ike says as we begin moving to face the enemy.

We began attacking the enemy. Ike, Tenebris, and Boyd took the front lines keeping the enemy at bay while I attacked from afar. Unfortunately, I could here a few people fighting up stairs, which meant that if we didn't hurry we could have enemy reinforcements soon. But, who could be upstairs? We haven't seen any sign of the commander's team. It only sounds like there's maybe three or four people.

The fighting wasn't hard, even though they were military, our group had more skill and experience. Well…most of us had more experience it seemed. Boyd and Tenebris began fighting more enemies at once while Ike took a quick break.

"You ok, Ike? You seem tired." I say casting Wind on a small group of enemies up in front of Tenebris and Boyd.

"Yeah, I just thought I heard something upstairs, and got distracted." Ike says as a woman runs down the stairs, and stops in front of Ike.

"Who are you; and what are you doing here?" I ask suspiciously as I prepare to cast a spell.

"Your name wouldn't happen to be Ike, would it?" she asks ignoring my question. I decided to go back to casting magic to help out Tenebris and Boyd while those two talked. I decided I would listen to them talking while fighting.

"It is, but…who are you?" Ike asks. Why am I the one that gets ignored?

"I'm Mia. I'm a mercenary, hired by Crimea to bolster the army's numbers." Mia says.

"An army mercenary, huh? So, uh, what are you doing here?" Ike asks suspiciously.

"I got careless and was captured. They were about to send me to a prison camp when Greil saved me." Mia replies.

"You've seen my father? Where?" Ike asks relieved and surprised.

"Just a little bit north of here. Not too far away, though." She says as a soldier runs at them. They seemed distracted, so, I cast Fire to get their attention and take care of the soldier.

"Thanks, Hawk." Ike says as he continues his conversation with Mia.

"Tell me, who exactly are you guys?" Mia asks looking at how many of us are fighting the Daeins.

"We're the Greil Mercenaries. As you can see, we're fighting against Daein." Ike says, looing around to see how his squad is doing.

"Yeah, we could use some help, Ike." I say somewhat angrily, as more soldiers got past Boyd and Tenebris.

"Give me a minute, Hawk."

"Huh…you're taking on a whole Daein battalion with these numbers? Nice. That settles it then!" Mia says enthusiastically, unsheathing her sword.

"What's settled, exactly?" I ask as I cast Wind on more soldiers.

"This battle. I'm coming in on your side. You don't mind do you?" Mia asks.

"It's fine with me, but…I don't know if you'll get paid just because I let you fight." Ike says.

"We'll worry about the details later! Great, so that's all taken care of. What's next, boss man?" Mia asks.

"I got an idea! How about some help?" I ask sarcastically.

"Everyone! Regroup at the center of the room!" Ike yells so that all the mercenaries could hear him. Once we all gathered at the center of the room, our luck had a turn for the worse. Enemy reinforcements came.

"Ha ha ha…found you at last." One of the female soldiers says. Why is she the only one on a horse? And what is that lance…I don't think I've ever seen a lance like that before. "You provided more entertainment than I thought you would." She says looking at our small group. Luckily for us, we were able to take care of most of the enemy soldiers, before the reinforcements came.

"Who are you?" Ike asks as the Daein reinforcements close in on us. "Me? I am General Petrine, and my arrival marks your doom. Lament your fortune, dear children, for all hope is lost. You will not leave this place alive." Petrine says with an evil smile.

"Petrine…of the Four Riders?" Soren asks. Four Riders?

"Do you know her, Soren?" Ike asks turning to face our tactician.

"She may be one of the four generals who are King Daein's most trusted confidants. She is said to wield a flame lance of terrible arcane might." Soren answers. So her weapon is a magical lance that shoots fire? Great…just what we needed…a powerful general with an even more powerful weapon. I just had to ask 'what's the worst that could happen' didn't I? Well today definitely can't get any worse…unless I die.

"Ha ha ha…you've heard of me? Why, I'm flattered. I'll try to make this easy on all of you. Give me the princess, and do it now. If I roast the girl along with you curs, I won't be able to present her head to His Majesty." Petrine says. Oh boy…just what I wanted…a death threat…

"Sorry to tell you this, but the princess isn't here. She's been in Gallia for quite some time now." Ike says with a small laugh.

"What…nonsense is that? Do you expect me to believe you? There's no way mercenary scum like you could get passed my troops." Petrine says angrily.

"They say that blind arrogance sows the field of its own destruction. Something tells me they were talking about you." A voice calls out from one of the halls. I know that voice…could it really be...

"Who-?" Petrine begins to say as Commander Greil enters the room, with Shinon and Gatrie right behind him.

"Father!"

"What're you doing back here, you dumb pup?" Greil asks. I can't tell if he's angry, or surprised.

"We got the princess safely into Gallia. When you didn't rejoin us, we decided to look for you. The mission wouldn't be complete until you returned." Ike says.

"…What am I to do with you? Still, you did well. Good work, Ike." Greil says. At least he's proud that our part of the mission is complete.

"Ha! Ignoring me proves you've got more guts than common sense. So you're the commander, eh? Hmph! And I was waiting for some great hero. You're just another sellsword." Petrine says pointing her lance at the commander.

"Am I?"

"Ha ha. You know, I think I'll keep you! His Majesty, well…let's just say he enjoys strong men. Yes, I do think you'll make a grand souvenir. You don't have to come along quietly, but I must have you alive. Dead men have no value, after all." Petrine says. Is it just me or did she just challenge Commander Greil to a fight? If I liked her I might feel sorry for her…I would never want to face the commander in battle.

"…so the rumors of mad King Ashnard's twisted games are true, are they?" Greil asks calmly. Ashnard…the name from my dream…so he's the king of Daein? That means…it was Daein that captured me in Begnion.

"Um…what are these 'twisted games'?" I ask. Could it have anything to do with what I went through?

"It's rumored that the Mad King gathers strong men from around the continent and pits them against each other. Whoever wins, no matter their birth, are given influential positions. No idea if it's true though." Soren says.

"That's terrible!" I say surprised. I am slightly relieved that it has nothing to do with what I went through, though.

"Ike! Meet up with Shinon and Gatrie; then get out of here!" Greil orders readying his axe.

"But, Commander, we can't just leave you here. That general looks dangerous." I say. I have no doubts that Commander Greil would win but, leaving him could get him killed.

"Don't worry about the commander, Hawk. He's a much tougher opponent than you might think." Titania says looking at me with a smile.

"Yeah, in all the years I've know the commander, he's never lost a fight." Boyd says.

"Move it! We'll regroup in Gallia!" Greil barks.

"You said your name was Petrine, is that right? Listen up. This place is nowhere near big enough. There's not enough room for a true contest between the two of us. I'm going elsewhere. You coming?" Greil asks looking at Petrine. Is he serious?

"Do you actually think I'm going to fall for such a simple ruse?"

"You and I, we've got more power than the average person. We don't come across a chance like this too often. I'd like to flex my muscles without any distractions getting in the way. You?" Greil asks.

"Ha ha…you really do know how to sweet talk a girl, don't you? All right, I'm coming." Petrine says as she watches the commander leave the room.

"Over here." The commander calls after her.

"All right, men. I'm leaving you in charge here. Don't let even one of these Crimean vermin escape! Understood? I want them exterminated by the time I return." Petrine says following after Greil. I have a feeling she won't be returning.

All of a sudden the soldiers that had surrounded us began charging at us. Soren and I acted on instinct, and began casting Wind in opposite directions, to push them back, while the others engaged them at close range. When they were on the ground, Ike and Tenebris would impale them, with their swords before attacking the, still standing, enemies.

I began casting Fire on groups of enemy soldiers. When the spell activated the burst of flames would catch some of the other soldiers on fire as well. Unfortunately while they had the chance they began running at us, to try and catch us on fire. Usually they were stopped by Ike or Tenebris, but when they weren't I used Thunder on them to finish the job.

"Hawk! Watch out!" Oscar yells as I turn around. A soldier got past Oscar and was running at me…not enough time for magic.

I closed my eyes and waited for it to be over. After a couple seconds I opened my eyes to see my arms stretched outwards, and a dagger sticking into the soldier's chest. When did I pull my dagger out? Was it instinct? I pulled the dagger out of his chest as I watched the Daein soldier fall back in a pool of blood. I almost yelled out…I'm not used to seeing blood up close…my magic usually burns them to ash or just kills them.

Trying to ignore the fact that I just stabbed someone, I tell Oscar thanks for the heads up and begin casting spells on the enemy soldiers again. On the other side of the soldiers, Gatrie and Shinon went to work trying to reach us as well. Most of the soldiers were concentrated in front of the door that lead to where the commander and Petrine went, so after taking care of the soldiers surrounding us we went to take out the enemy commander, who looked to be a powerful mage.

"Hawk, I have a plan." Soren says as we continue fighting our way through to the enemy commander.

"And what's that?"

"The enemy commander is a highly trained mage. His magic will be far stronger than what we're used to. If we both cast Wind at the same time, it should give one of the others a long enough opening to finish him off." Soren says as all but the enemy commander was slain.

"Sounds good." I say as I watch everyone trying to get close to the mage. The only one getting close was Gatrie, and that was only because of his armor.

Soren and I began chanting in unison, next thing I know a gust of Wind hits the enemy commander knocking him to the floor with a thud. Without hesitation, Shinon fires an arrow into the mage's head to finish the job.

"Let's go find my father!" Ike says as we run through the exit Commander Greil took.

We entered into another large room where the warriors stood facing each other. Are they taking a break? Although, it would appear that Petrine is tired…

"Titania! Is my father…" Ike begins to ask, as we watch the two warriors continue their battle. I was surprised to see Commander Greil fight like this…I thought that Titania would be a good match up for him, but it would appear that I was mistaken. Neither warrior could get a hit on the other; although, Commander Greil was slowly gaining an advantage.

"Don't worry. Commander Greil's the better fighter. He'll be fine." Titania says as the two warriors stop fighting.

"Dog's breath! Who are you, man? You look like a common sellsword, but you fight like a demon!" Petrine says. I suppose that's the best way to describe it. I have never seen anyone fight like Commander Greil. He was almost like a completely different person than I had first met.

"What's wrong? Ready to surrender?" Greil asks.

"And admit defeat? Me? Don't be absurd…" Petrine says as a Daein soldier runs through one of the exits.

"Here they are! Over here!" the soldier calls. A couple moments later a squad of soldiers runs through the exit.

"Blast. Enemy reinforcements! Father! Let's get out of here! There are too many-" Ike says.

"…Looks like I've got no choice." Greil says as we turn around to leave. I think my day just got worse…as we turned to leave 3 more squads of soldiers entered and blocked our exits.

"Ha ha ha ha…so now, the tide has turned, hasn't it? All troops, attack! Kill them! Kill them all!" Petrine orders as we turn back to back to face the enemy.

"Hm…looks like our luck's run out." Greil says readying his axe.

"Father!"

"You have to survive this, Ike. I'm not going to lose you, not in this place. Are you ready?" Greil asks as the rest of us ready our weapons.

"Yes, Commander!"

"You've nowhere to run. Curse whatever gods you hold, for they have abandoned you!" Petrine says with a laugh. Right after Petrine said that a roar echoed throughout the fort.

"What was that?" Ike asks as an even louder roar is heard.

"B-b-beasts! Gallian beast soldiers!" one of the soldiers yells, obviously scared. The laguz have come to help us? But how did they know where we were?

"R-r-run! We're going to be torn to shreds!" another soldier says. Are the laguz that powerful?

"Stand your ground, all of you! Don't panic! I will personally slaughter the first man to turn his back on the enemy!" Petrine barks as another roar echoes through the fort.

"Noooo!" a soldier yells as three of the squads run back through the exits trying to escape.

"Pfeh. Worthless cowards, one and all." Petrine says angrily.

"B-b-beasts!" a soldier yells staggering back into the room. When he fell I could see the claw marks in his back; and shortly after, Gallians entered through one of the exits.

The blue cat transformed into his human form and began speaking. "Attention, Daein soldiers! Leave this place at once! If you do not comply immediately, you will face Gallia's full strength!"

"Threaten me all you like. It's not going to frighten me off. If I leave, His Majesty will have me executed. I'd rather die here in battle, with my honor intact." Petrine says, glaring at the Gallians.

I heard heavy armor hitting the ground walking down one of the paths. Next thing I see is an armored knight in pitch black armor, with a red cape. "Withdraw, General Petrine." The knight says as he enters the room. Something about his voice scares me. Although it could be that I can sense that he is a strong warrior.

""The Black Knight…" Petrine says staring at the knight in confusion.

"As for your king, you have nothing to fear. I'll explain things to him. Take your men and go." The Black Knight orders as he turns towards us.

"All troops, fall back!" Petrine orders as her soldiers retreat.

"He's staring at you, isn't he, Father?" Ike asks knowing the answer.

"Yeah. He is."

"Hey! Are you planning on taking us all on by yourself?" the blue cat asks as the Gallians face the Black Knight. Ignoring his question, the Black Knight turns around and walks away.

"Father?" Ike asks.

"Do you know who that was, Commander?" I ask. What was it about that knight…he seemed…almost demonic. Who could it be?

"Come on, let's head back to Gallia." Greil trails off as we leave the fort with the Gallian soldiers.

The rest of the mercenaries, and Gallians, spent the trip in silence, while Tenebris and I began talking about that black knight.

"So who do you think he could be?" I ask.

"Who? That knight, that ordered the retreat of Petrine?" Tenebris asks.

"Yeah…Who is he…and what do you think he wants with the commander?" I ask in a hushed voice.

"To be honest, I have no idea. Although…he seems familiar somehow…" Tenebris replies thoughtfully.

"You think you've met him somewhere before?"

"Not likely, he just seems familiar. I wonder if that knight knew the commander, though." Tenebris says as the group in front of us stops.

"Maybe… All right, let's catch up to the others. No point dwelling on it…for now…" I say running to the rest of the group. We had been greeted by the princess, Mist, and Rolf.

"Father! Brother!" Mist says hugging them, relieved that they came back safe, as Ike had promised.

"Master Greil, my lord Ike…I am pleased you are well." Elincia says looking at our group with a small smile.

"Princess Elincia…Why did you return here?" Ike asks confused.

"The princess came and requested Gallian aid for your mercenary company. That is what brings us here." The blue cat says walking up next to the princess.

"Are you one of Gallia's sub-humans?" Ike asks. The blue cat gives Ike a look that could scare almost anyone.

"Sub-human? Ha! What arrogance it takes to coin such a name! you think yourselves the only ones worthy of the name 'human', and so we laguz must be beneath you? And thus you call us 'sub-human'. We are less than human to you, is that it?" The blue cat says angrily as roars are heard from the other laguz.

"Ike, remember what I told you? Laguz consider anyone who calls them 'sub-human' to be an enemy." Tenebris whispers to Ike.

"I'm sorry…I don't know any other name for you. If I have offended you I apologize. What should I call you? Laguz? Would that be more appropriate?" Ike asks trying to apologize for angering the Gallians.

"Huh? You show manners? How odd. I like that. Now, you are…who, exactly?" he asks, while looking at us as if he were studying us.

"My name is Ike. Ike of the Greil Mercenaries." Ike says introducing himself.

"I'm Ranulf, a warrior of Gallia. We did not know what to think when this group of beorc came tramping through Gallian fields…Imagine our surprise to learn that one of them is Princess Elincia. Now, that was a shock. Two days ago, Daein proclaimed their conquest. We thought Crimea's royals had all been killed." Ranulf says looking at Elincia.

"Wait, so the Daeins have laid claim to Crimea?" I ask sadly.

"I…also heard this news from my lord Ranulf…After…after I fled the capital…My lord uncle Renning…He…I…I am…all alone." Elincia manages to say between sobs.

"This is why our king ordered extra patrols along the nation's border. It wasn't mere chance that brought my warriors here to offer you support." Ranulf says. "Before you all can meet the king, I must present Princess Elincia to the king. As for the rest of your men, Ike, I must get orders from my superiors. Until then you may rest at an old castle inside Gallia. Sorry, but I cannot bring so large a group of foreigners to the palace without warning."

I wonder why the commander hasn't spoken, I think to myself as I look around, to find the commander looking off in the distance as if deep in thought.

"I understand. Commander, that's not going to be a problem, is it?" Ike asks his father. "Commander?" Ike asks again after a few moments of silence from his father.

"Hm? What was that?" the commander asks, snapped out of his thoughts.

"What's wrong? You're not paying attention. It's not like you." Ike says.

"I was thinking about something. So, what's been decided?" the commander asks looking at Ike. What could he have been thinking about?

"Princess Elincia is going to the palace with Ranulf. We're going into Gallia and setting up camp at an old castle." Ike says before turning to Ranulf again. "Which way to this castle, Ranulf?"

"I shall prepare a guide to take you. One of you! Quickly!" Ranulf orders.

"No, don't go to the trouble. If it's nearby, we cross the river on the border and head west. It's Gebal Castle, right?" you go ahead. Get the princess to King Caineghis as fast as you can." Greil says. How does the commander know where the old castle is? Has he been here before?

"…Understood. What thoughtful guests you are. If you'll excuse me. Oh, and if it's not too presumptuous, I'll have food delivered to you later." Ranulf says. Yay! Real food, not rations!

"We'd appreciate it. The road has been hard, and we had little time to pack more than salted meat and hard biscuits." The commander says.

"Then we shall provide!" Ranulf says turning to the princess. "Princess Elincia, shall we leave?"

"Farewell, everyone…Until later. I will see you soon, won't I?" Elincia says as the Gallians begin leading her to the capital.

"Take care!" we all say in unison waving goodbye to the princess.

The walk to Gebal castle was short, and spent in silence. By the time we got there a couple of Gallian soldiers were waiting for us with some food.

"We have brought some provisions, courtesy of the king." One of the Gallians said handing the food to Ike.

"Thank you, we appreciate it." Ike says as the Gallians leave.

I spent the next few hours walking around the castle with Tenebris, as we began talking and getting to know each other…again.

"So how exactly did we meet?" I ask as we stop in front of the entrance to the castle.

"Well, if I remember correctly, I was running away from the city guard and as I turned a corner I ran into you." Tenebris says laughing. "The guards saw me standing up and thought you were one of my allies, so they began chasing you as well."

I couldn't help but, bursting out, laughing. "So you mean to tell me we met, because YOU were being chased?" I ask laughing waiting to hear more.

"Yeah, we spent the whole day running for our lives. We're still wanted in that town because you cast Wind, launching a fruit cart at the guards so we could get away." Tenebris says laughing so hard that he began crying.

"Do I want to know why you were being chased?" I ask not knowing if I would regret asking.

"Uh…yeah, I guess the men there don't appreciate other guys flirting with their wives…" Tenebris says with another laugh. I began laughing with Tenebris until I saw Ike heading out into the forest alone…

"Where's Ike going? Come on, Tenebris, let's follow him." I say as we stand up and run after Ike. When we caught up to them we saw Ike standing just before a clearing…in the clearing was Commander Greil…and the Black Knight.

"Here, use this blade." The Black Knight says tossing a golden sword to the commander.

"What are you doing?" the commander asks looking at the sword.

"I have been waiting for this along time." The Black Knight says unsheathing a silver sword. "I would prefer it if you use your proper weapon so that I might see you at your full strength; General Gawain, Rider of Daein." The Black Knight says pointing his sword at the commander. Gawain? But his name's Greil…

"That was my name…once." Greil says pulling the golden sword from the log it had stuck in. "But I…threw it away." He says tossing the sword back. "The only weapon I need…is right here!" the commander says picking up his axe and preparing to fight.

"Do you…want to die?" The Black Knight asks.

"Your voice…I remember you…think you can defeat me? The man who taught you how to fight? What a fool." The commander says with a smirk. Running at the knight the commander says "Come on boy, come try me."

The two warrior were soon locked in a fierce combat again, the Black Knight blocking the commander attacks using just one arm. After parrying four of the commander's attacks the Black Knight drew back his sword and thrust it as hard as he could. I watched in horror as I saw the silver sword protrude from the commander's back.

"Is that all there is? No challenge? No…resistance?" the Black Knight says, removing his sword from the commander. As he staggered back Ike ran to his father and tried to hold him up.

"Father!" Ike yells as they fall down together. "Don't…Don't leave me…FATHER!" Ike yells out in sadness, and anger, hoping to keep his father alive. Tenebris and I couldn't move…we were horrified, angry, and most of all…sad.

"...Unbelievable. Is this truly what has become of my teacher?" The Black Knight asks in disbelief.

"Father! Father!...Hold on!" Ike says desperately

"Now then, will you give me what I came for?" The Black Knight asks holding out his hand. What could he be looking for?...could it be me?

"I...don't...have it... ...I threw...it away..." Greil says through coughs, as he tries to breath. What did he throw away? What could he want so badly?

"Ha. You, who knows better than any what it truly is, threw it away? Surely you can craft a more plausible lie. You're not even trying anymore." The Black Knight says with a small laugh.

"I'm done talking to you." Greil says.

"So there's no way for me to get my answers, is that it? The dead keep their secrets, or so it is said. But you, however... You are not dead yet. I wonder... Will watching your son's face grow pale, his eyes grow dim as his life bleeds away... And then your daughter... Oh, the horrors I will visit upon her. Will that loosen your tongue, perhaps? I suppose we will simply have to see." The Black Knight says preparing his sword to attack.

Tenebris and I couldn't stand by anymore…we ran out to face the Black Knight…

I cast Fire hoping to at least stop the Black Knight. To my surprise it had no effect; even his armor had no burn marks on it. The knight turned towards me and raised his sword swing it down towards me. Tenebris raised his sword to try and block the attack pushing me out of the way.

Tenebris had told me that, like I had my magic, he had more strength. However, even using one hand the knight overpowered Tenebris quickly, almost as if he were as strong as me. The force of the collision drove Tenebris back, and down onto one knee as he grasped his arm.

I cast Thunder trying to help but again, nothing happened to the knight…he began laughing as he hit me with his fist. Somehow I maintained consciousness, but I was unable to move as the knight turned back to face the commander.

"I will not check my hand again. Give me what I am after. If you offer no more resistance, I will leave them alive." The Black Knight says holding his hand out once again.

"S-Stop…You will not touch them!" the commander says as a powerful roar echoes in the night.

"…What is this? The king of beasts? How bothersome. Do I retreat? Eh?" The Black Knight says turning towards the sound of the roar. King Gallia is here?

"You're not going anywhere." Ike says as he draws his sword. Tenebris and I managed to stand up and join Ike as we faced the Black Knight.

"Tell me, is the son as stupid as the father?" The Black Knight asks with curiosity in his voice. Ike turned around when he heard his father cough again.

"Ike, Stop. There's no way you can win." Greil mutters gasping with each breath he took.

"But, Commander." I begin to say, not wanting to give up, and let this bastard get away.

"You will not continue? Then I will finish…" The Black Knight says raising his sword. The roar is heard again as the king of Gallia drew closer to us. "So close. Now is not the time for me to deal with him. You get to keep your head today, boy." The Black Knight says looking at Ike. Next thing I know, there is a magic circle underneath the knight just before he disappears. Can he use magic like me?

Almost, as a sign of sadness, it began to rain as we stood there helpless to aid the commander.

"So willful. So arrogant…Of course…the one who…made him that way…was…m-me…" Greil says as he loses consciousness.

"…Father? Father! Hold on! I can't do anything here…We've…We've got to get him back to the castle!" Ike says pleadingly looking at us.

"I'll help you carry him." Tenebris says walking over to Ike as they put the commander's arms around their shoulders. I decided to pick up the commander's axe, and the sword the Black Knight had thrown to the commander.

We began walking back through the rain, trying to get back to the castle as quickly as possible. Ike and Tenebris got about halfway before they collapsed, too tired to move anymore.

"Hawk…Go get help!" Ike says. As I begin to leave the commander spoke, and for somereason I couldn't move anymore.

"I-Ike."

"Father? You're awake!" Ike says looking at his father.

"I…There's something I need to tell you." Greil says weakly. Somehow, I knew that getting help at this point would do no good.

"Tell me later. Right now, I'm getting you back to the castle." Ike says trying to hold back the tears.

"Forget about revenge…Leave that knight alone…Stay away…" Greil says.

"What? Father?"

"Stay with the king of Gallia…Live here. Live in peace…" the commander says, his voice getting weaker.

"Father, stop talking. You're wasting your strength. Please…" Ike says pleadingly.

"I need you to take care of everything…the company…Mist…" Greil says coughing some more, with struggled breaths. I hadn't even thought about how Mist would take this news…

"Wait…You mustn't say such things! It'll be light soon. You'll be fine…" Ike says as tears begin to form in his eyes.

Ike and Tenebris picked the Commander up again and we made our way to the castle. When we reached the castle steps, Ike and Tenebris collapsed as Titania and the others came running out. I was too stunned to speak when I saw everyone. I had no idea what to say…

* * *

**My least favorite scene to write...I hope you all enjoyed it.**

**By now you should know the shameless plug-ins...if not send me a pm or check the previous chapter...this is the last update before I go back to college so I apologize in advance if I do not update on time.**

**And as usual...I thank all the people who have reviewed my story and hope that you continue to read and critique my work. I enjoy the help... :D**


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